


Fifth Time's The Charm

by 200percent_inlove



Category: K-pop, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Awkward Flirting, Crush at First Sight, Dating, F/M, Falling In Love, First Dates, Friendship/Love, I love them so much ugh, JungRi is LIFE, Love, Meet-Cute, Romantic Fluff, Shapeshifting, crackship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-03-21 04:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/200percent_inlove/pseuds/200percent_inlove
Summary: Three things.One, Jung-Kook’s pubescent heart is infatuated with Kim Yerim.Two, he’s just so unfortunately idiotic that he just had to give off the impression that he was a pervert.And three, he – as a shape-shifting human – took Yoongi’s advice, and already disguised himself 4 different times in an attempt to spend time with her. Well, fifth time’s the charm as they say, right? |Shapeshifter, university/college AU.





	1. Jeon Jung-Kook

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to give credit to the brilliant people over at Reddit (r/WritingPrompts) for this hilariously cute idea. I saw it, and automatically thought of JungRi. Just imagining an awkward, flustered Jung-Kook trying to woo the ever oblivious and cute Yeri in different ways and as different people made my heart flutter >3< Unfortunately in reality, shape-shifting isn't exactly a thing that we can do, haha. But ALTERNATE UNIVERSES FTW! Hope you enjoy! :)

“I’m so dumb,” Jung-Kook flails onto the tabletop counter, weeping with such exorbitant dramatics that Yoongi couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the younger man. “Really. Don’t try to console me and make me feel any better.”

From the corner of Jung-Kooks’ eye, he watches in exasperation as Yoongi regards him with a withering expression, then proceeds to concentrate on his novel and coffee instead. That asshole, Jung-Kook thinks to himself as his jaw twitches in annoyance. “Alright, _hyung_. This is when you’re supposed to say, ‘Oh no, Jung-Kook- _ah_ , you’re still so innocently naïve about this cruel world. It’s okay to mess up, especially around the girls you’re interested in.”

“But, that would just contradict what my heart wants to say, Jung-Kookie,” is his cheeky reply. “I absolutely can’t do that. Although,” He says, swallowing his drink before continuing. “Why in the _fuck_ did you agree to that bullshit? You were never interested in dating.”

“I know. I don’t need a reminder.” Jung-Kook deadpans.

“Exactly.” The corner of his lips curl upwards into a deviously teasing smirk. God, does Jung-Kook loathe him.

The younger man rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Well…”

* * *

 

It all started Sunday evening. Under Tae-Hyung- _hyung_ ’s and Jimin- _hyung_ ’s forced coaxing (And puke-inducing _aegyo_ ), Jung-Kook had joined the two for a two-hour speed dating event in Hong-Dae. Quite frankly, he wasn’t even the slightest interested in dating. Because fuck that, he was still a broke-ass student and could barely fend for himself. Here he was, buying rice balls for lunch and dinner, working part-time at a convenience store on the days he didn’t have school and would make it through each month with a little remaining money left for personal spending (Ie: Buying skins for his Overwatch characters).

The very idea of investing (Both financially and emotionally) in another person was beyond his understanding.

However, the two elders did know him best.

_“C’mon, Kookie. It’ll be fun!” Tae-Hyung exclaimed in the cafeteria one day. Jimin nodded a tad bit overenthusiastically. “So many pretty girls.”_

_“Girls!”_

_Jung-Kook sighed in annoyance, ignoring the way one of them – a rather bodacious, brown-haired senior eyed him up and down flirtatiously. “Plenty on campus, don’t you think?” Turning his head, he glared at the young lady, whom jolted in surprise; he added monotonously, “Stop it with the eye-rape. I’m not a piece of meat”, leaving her a huffy, flabbergasted mess._

_“And if you’re not into that,” Tae-Hyung continued as if nothing had ever happened, drumming his fingers on the table. “Boys are perfectly fine too!” At that, one of Jung-Kooks’ classmates, a rather good-looking junior whom asked to be called Daniel rather than by his Korean name, looked up expectantly from the corner. He couldn’t help but hide his snigger; Daniel and Tae-Hyung would look rather charming as a couple._

_“Boys!”_

_Jung-Kook took a sip from his orange juice. “I’m flat-ass broke,” He said, gesturing to the array of convenience store-bought food. “And y’all know it.”_

_Tae-Hyung started looking desperate, which was quite humorous because it was always Jimin whom reeked of the need for validation from members of the opposite sex. Passing the leaflet to Jung-Kook, he suggested, “How about we pay for your entry fee for the event?”_

_Just from the large font on the sheet, Jung-Kook began to cough and splutter everywhere – so much to the point that another girl stood up and offered (Albeit a bit too anxiously) if he needed the Heimlich Maneuver. Much to his chagrin, Jimin said no – the unforgiving bastard. “This type of shit costs you twenty bucks?!” Jung-Kook shouted after recovering. “I could buy a feast with that money!”_

_“How about we pay for your lunch – “_

_“Jimin-ah,” Tae-Hyung scolded, thwacking him in the head with ferocity. “Shut the fuck up!”_

_“No, wait,” Jung-Kook interrupted, a rather deceitful smile making its way onto his lips. “How about breakfast?”_

_“…What exactly do you want?” Tae-Hyung was starting to pat the thick wad that comprised his wallet._

_“I want their McGriddle. And hot cakes, occasionally,” Jung-Kook demanded. “Actually, add in lunch and I’ll go to this stupid thing.”_

_“Grr...”_

_“Or,” Jung-Kook sing-sang mockingly. “You two can just go alone and I’ll be off, studying for my exams as I usually do with my cat and my Netflix account. No big deal – “_

_“Fine, fine, fine!”_

So, wearing his best ironed dress shirt and a leather jacket that was much too tight from Jimin ( _“It goes well with your eyes – it creates a mysterious, smoldering appearance that will have all the ladies drooling for you!”_ ), here he sat under rather poorly lit lighting ( _“Ooh, how romantic”, Tae-Hyung had crooned)_ with a look that clearly displayed how much he wanted to be anywhere, but there. Twenty girls and twenty boys were in attendance, exactly, meaning that Jung-Kook – whom was glancing at the clock with rather watchful eyes – still had 3 hours before he could leave.

Great.

Well, it wasn’t _that_ terrible, if he was being honest. Perhaps it was because of how his way of speaking was so blunt, direct and never beat around the bush that it made it somewhat easier for him to say no to a girl if she was displaying rather needy, almost creepy tendencies.

Like that one.

_“So um,” She said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She literally looked like a deer in headlights, eyes glinting at him. “I hear you’re a big fan of American music?”_

_“Hmm.” Honestly, he knew he was being terribly rude – but this girl was about as interesting as a brick wall. Fortunately, or perhaps in his case, unfortunately, she took his occasional “Mms” and “Ahhs” as potential signs of reciprocation._

_“I love it, too! I think Hannah Montana is amazing – “_

_Jung-Kook automatically stood up, and perhaps the Gods were on his side that night, because the bell had rung, signifying that this round was over. “I’m done.”_

Or, perhaps that one.

_She seemed okay at the start; nice, pleasant, knew how to make conversation without stammering. But, something was tingling inside of him that maybe there was a little thing that wasn’t quite right with her. It just seemed…off._

_“So, what do you do?” She asked, taking a sip of her bubbly champagne._

_“I’m currently a student – “_

_And almost automatically, her expression shifts into one of pure disgust. Scoffing, she pressed a hand against her chest and with such overexaggeration that Jung-Kook wondered if her diet comprised of diamond rings and stacks of money, said scornfully, “I don’t date any men that don’t have a car, especially if it’s not a Lamborghini.”_

_Tingle confirmed. Next._

And oh, what the heck, this one just had to take the cake.

_Jung-Kook had absolutely nothing against those whom were interested in learning different cultures. He, himself, was an avid fan of Japanese culture, anime and the like. He even joined a language café so that he could pick up some elementary Japanese from some of the exchange students. That, in his opinion, was how to respectfully embrace another persons’ culture without offending them._

_She introduces herself as “Jung-Ah”. “That’s my Korean name. I only go by my Korean name.”_

_“But, it says Sarah on your name tag.” He pointed out._

_“Jung-Ah!”_

_It doesn’t bother him that she’s caked her face with make-up. Because if it makes her feel good, then by all means, please do so. The problems he did have, though? Her color contacts. When, in fact, her eyes were already turquoise. And the fact that she wasn’t exactly wearing concealer or foundation that matched her skin tone. She legitimately looked like a ghost._

_“So, what are your hobbies?”_

_“Hmm,” She puffed out her lips together like a fish. “Well, I **nomu joahaes** K-Pop! I **sarang** Big Bang a lot, and I think G-Dragon is just too **gwiyeopda**! Oh, I want him to take all of my **sarangs**.” Squealing, she pressed her fists against her cheeks in an attempt to act cute. “K-Dramas, also **nomu joah**! Song Joong-Ki is my **nampyeon**!”_

_Fuck, Jung-Kook couldn’t even think of any more witty comebacks. He just held up his arm, calling for the waiter. “Yes, sir?”_

_“Can you tell me the closest place where I can repeatedly bang my head against the wall to forget about this incident?”_

At the very least, he thought to himself as he sipped his water while awaiting for his next match, watching Jimin and Tae-Hyung laughing boisterously with two other girls, his elders were getting along and that was what mattered. After all, he was only here for the physical support – not for actually finding a relationship or someone to date, for that matter. With only five more minutes remaining on the clock, he wasn’t having high hopes for his last date.

The seat in front of him shuffled, and Jung-Kook turned his attention back to the girl. Almost immediately, he felt himself choking back on his spit because of how _gosh-darnit_ pretty she was. While Jung-Kook knew what tachycardia and heart arrhythmias was from his textbooks, he knew that his heart pounding ever so furiously wasn’t from clogged arteries at all. Maybe this was the ‘heart fluttering’ that Ho-Seok always talked about whenever he hung out with Wendy. “Uh, uh,” He struggled to find the proper words. The problem with Jung-Kook was the fact that every single time he became overly excited (Over materialistic things or people), he started to hiccough uncontrollably. He just couldn’t help himself. And his habit continued to persist, as he realized, even with beautiful girls.

“Hi!”

She giggled melodiously. “Well, hello to you, too.” She extended a hand outward to him. “My name is Ye-Rim.”

Breathless, and without taking her hand dangling right in front of his face, he just started to flush. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Um,” He began weakly, tugging at the collar of his shirt, shifting in his seat uncontrollably. “Hi?” Thinking he greeted her too much and wasting precious time, he added, “I don’t know, uh, what I’m doing, but my, uh, name is Jung-Kook.” Finally. A comprehensible sentence and the most integral piece of information.

“I like your name – “

_OH, MY GOD. DON’T DO THIS TO ME._

* * *

 

Although it did take him at least a full minute to recover, Ye-Rim was – more or less – amused, at least based on how she was observing him with twinkling eyes. He’s surprised to find out that she went to the same university as him – granted, she was a few years younger, which would explain why he hadn’t seen her in any of his classes prior to that.

Ye-Rim was a K-Pop fan, but much to his relief, she considered herself only a casual fan of some of the second-generation groups that he, too, was a fan of. When she told him that she listens to the occasional Kendrick Lamar, he couldn’t help but feel impressed.

And for the first time ever in his entire life, when the bell rang, he almost wanted to walk to the counter and argue with the event coordinator about how he was ruining any semblance of a love life that he had. Not that he had been asking for one at this speed dating event, but come on, now!

“You’re quite the charmer, Jung-Kook- _sshi_.” Ye-Rim complimented gently, picking up her purse. “I had the most fun talking with you.”

Noting that he was under the intense scrutiny of Jimin and Tae-Hyung, both, Jung-Kook only scratched the back of his head. “Uh, uh, you, uh, too.”

Jimin couldn’t take it. “ _GIVE HER YOUR NUMBER, YOU WEIRDO,”_ He hissed frantically.

“Actually, even without your friend over there, I wanted to ask for yours.” Holding out her phone, she asked, “May I?”

And so, they did. Ye-Rim promised that she would send him a text message after she arrived home, and asked that he do the same.

“Oh, no, no. Don’t, uh, worry about me. I, uh, actually, uh, just live up here.”  He detested this damn despicably annoying hiccup of his.

“Maybe one day, I’ll also see you at school, right?”

“Uh, um, yeah, absolutely! I, uh, I eat lunch. Microbiology Labs. Can come visit.” A nervous chuckle escapes his throat.

“I will,” She giggled. “Well, good-night, Jung-Kook- _sshi_. I hope to see you soon.” Standing on her tip-toes, she proceeded to give him a small, lingering kiss on the cheek, sending Jimin and Tae-Hyung into ballistic, tearful screeches of, “JUNG-KOOK IS SO MANLY!”

Jung-Kook, on the other hand, felt his face numb and legs give way to one side. Hazily, he reached his hand outward to grasp onto something – **_anything!_** – that could prevent him from falling lopsided in front of the only girl that he had shown some form of interest in. He gripped onto something rather fleshy and squishy, but his body seemed to sense that it wasn’t enough; his legs eventually just collapsed before him and he dropped to the floor.

A few long moments later, amongst hushed voices, Jimin’s footsteps could be heard behind him and Jung-Kook felt himself being hoisted upwards. “C’mon. Up you get. This is fucking embarrassing.”

“W-what? Why?!” Snapping out of his trance, Jung-Kook soon realized what had happened. Ye-Rim, standing before him, paled, her arms crossing protectively in front of her chest.

Forget what he said about God being on his side. If it were, then he wouldn’t have groped Ye-Rim’s breast, and had his head buried within her nether regions for more than three seconds ‘for support’.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He blew it, big time.

“I uh, I.” The poor guy didn’t even know what to say. “SORRY!”

Without even taking a second glance at her, he straightened himself, and immediately bolted out of the restaurant, all remaining dignity lost.

* * *

 

She hasn’t texted him since. Nor has she spoken to him in person. Which is expected.

A few days afterwards, he saw her running for the library when he was going to class. His heart did a complete somersault, but Ye-Rim – at the sight of him – only averted her gaze, and if Jung-Kook wasn't deceived, running even faster than before. His heart literally sank to the pits of the Mariana’s Trench.  

Jung-Kook doesn’t know what’s worse: The fact that Ye-Rim is so upset with his behavior that he won’t be able to talk to her without recalling that terrible incident, or that Yoongi is snorting so hard that he has coffee squirting out of his nose like an albino elephant. It’s already enough to make the younger man feel shitty.  

“Alright, alright,” Jung-Kook mumbles, his outer lip pouting outward. “If you’re not willing to help, then please just leave me to wallow in my sorrows alone.”

“I’m sorry, Kook,” Yoongi replies, wiping a stray tear from his eye. “It’s just that…” He couldn’t suppress his laugh. “It’s just _really_ funny from my perspective.”

“Anything is funny to you if it’s embarrassing and doesn’t involve you!”

“Alright. Well, I mean, the most simple, straightforward thing you can do is just tell her exactly what happened.” The book now lay aside, neglected. “Ye-Rim seems like a kind-hearted girl; I’m sure she would understand.”

“Do you need me to reiterate the very fact that I touched her **_BOOBS_**?” Jung-Kook hisses.

“Singular,” Yoongi points out. “Boob.”

“Same thing.”

“Or, you could just y’know…” Yoongi’s voice drops down to nothing more than a mere whisper. “Whip up a new identity.”

That had Jung-Kook’s interest captivated. “Huh?”

“With your powers. You know. Do your thing.”

With Yoongi’s help (And much reconnaissance work from Nam-Joon, whom was Ye-Rim’s teaching assistant, and Tae-Hyung, whom worked the same shift as Ye-Rim at the bookstore), a few days later at the café, Jung-Kook decided that he was going to try this again.

Only this time, he wasn’t going to be Jeon Jung-Kook.

“Are you _sure_ this is going to work?”

“Fuckin’ positive, my man,” Yoongi assures, slapping the younger man’s arm. “Trust me.”

And so, Jung-Kook did.  


	2. Lee Tae-Yong

To be frank, Lee Tae-Yong wasn’t technically someone that would be found traipsing through an ordinary college campus like he belonged there. 

Jung-Kook knew exactly who he was. And despised him, for petty reasons such as having captured Ye-Rim's fan-girl heart. He was the cardboard cut-out that gleefully advertised Paris Baguettes’ coffee, renowned for an incredibly low and deep rasp whenever he stepped on stage as a talented rapper from SM Entertainment’s renowned boy group, NCT. They were still fairly fresh on the scene, garnering popularity day by day for their charmingly striking appearances and quirky music. Not to mention, when Jung-Kook surfed their official website, this Tae-Yong certainly had the looks to murder every male specimen within his one hundred mile radius. Jung-Kook was no exception to this. Of course, he didn’t think he was _ugly_ , per say – it was more so that he was a tad bit fluffier and bunny-like, and Tae-Yong looked like an ethereal vampire. His visuals were stunningly beautiful, and Jung-Kook simply paled in comparison, leaving him a sobbing ball of anxiety.  

And to add insult to injury, from what Hoseok told him earlier, Ye-Rim was a rather huge (Albeit closeted) fan, collecting his memorabilia whenever she hung out with Wendy and their other friends at the SM Coex Atrium.

Initially, Yoongi didn’t quite agree with this plan. “Do you _really_ want his fans to mob you? You don’t even like anybody touching you.”

“I didn’t _say_ that I was going to go to school without any motive as Lee Tae-Yong. Trust me on that, _hyung_. I’m stupid, but I’m not _that_ stupid.”

Ho-Seok, alongside Wendy, were the founders of the renowned K-Pop Dance Club at school. And Ye-Rim had joined shortly after Clubs Week. Jung-Kook then proceeded to curse himself, wondering _why_ _oh why_ he dropped out of hip-hop and ballet dance classes when he was younger. Still, he thought to himself as he browsed through their music videos of Limitless and Cherry Bomb, it didn’t look _that_ difficult. He _had_ retained some of his skills, and Jimin – ever the dance fanatic, thanks to his friendship with modern dance major, Seulgi – was more than willing to give him a few pointers. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to say, critique the shit out of him when Jung-Kook was normally the one who talked smack about the older male.

“Again,” Jimin stated firmly, putting a pause to the music. It was already 1 A.M. in the morning in one of the 24/7 dance practice rooms, and Jung-Kook was almost on the verge of quitting. The backside of his shirt and his face drenched in droplets of sweat, he plopped onto the ground in defeat.

“Do I really have to do this?” Jung-Kook was starting to wonder if Lee Tae-Yong was too much of a challenge; maybe he should’ve started off as something simple. Like that guy called Dino, one of Ye-Rims’ gym buddies and closest friends. Or, even Soo-Hyun, a vocal major would’ve been simpler. On second thought, he’s heard her hit those high notes – he can’t even screech out any of TWICE’s songs without ruining his vocal cords. 

“You’re not even doing it properly!” Jimin tutted. “His arm goes THIS way – you look like you’re an octopus that just washed up on shore.”

A malicious glint was directed at the older man. “Sure, sure, _hyung_. You do it again if you’re so great. Go on. I dare ya.”

And sure enough, Jimin did, gliding through the majority of the dance with little to no difficulties at all, leaving Jung-Kook’s mouth gaping in shock.

“Got nothing to say now, eh, punk? Now, hop to it!” Jimin smacked Jung-Kook’s behind agitatedly. “I’m losing sleep over you trying to get yourself a girlfriend!”

* * *

 

The body of Lee Tae-Yong was certainly different in comparison to his. For one thing, Jung-Kook often styled his hair upwards. Tae-Yong’s blonde mop sat on his head like cottony fluff, and his bangs were grazing just above Jung-Kooks’ eyes awkwardly, forcing the younger man to brush it out of his view every now and then.

Tae-Yong was also much thinner in comparison to Jung-Kook, even though their heights only differed by an inch or so. Jung-Kook was much bulkier due to muscle and weight-lifting, which he presumes had contributed to his lack of success in twirling without stumbling to the ground like an idiot. But, Tae-Yong had the long limbs and the physique that was required of a dancer – nimble and agile. Looking at his reflection now, Jung-Kook did have to concede Tae-Yong’s handsomeness. Surely, it was unacceptable for someone to look _this_ good – so much to the point that Jung-Kook had an inkling of not wanting to change back.

But, he thinks as he grabs the mask and toque, he presumes it wouldn’t be a great idea for the fans of NCT to be caught dating at this time. All he wants to do for today, anyway, was to make the younger girl happy as her favourite idol. Besides, he personally shipped Tae-Yong with BLACKPINK’s charismatic Jennie Kim. He was not going to let his ship sink, even for Ye-Rim’s sake.

* * *

 

As he had expected, the classroom was packed; female students whom were not even registered in the club were squeezing through the entryway, attempting to get photographs and autographs of Tae-Yong. Ho-Seok, ever so calculative and manipulative, was charging twenty dollars for a ticket for the first one hundred non-members queueing for the ‘mysterious guest’ that they had been advertising throughout the week - just enough to pique interest, but not enough to create an overpowering mob. “It’ll be enough to sustain our budget without having to consult the President for the rest of the year,” Ho-Seok whispers in Jung-Kooks’ ear.

Jung-Kook couldn’t help but give off a shit-eating grin; popularity was certainly something he could get accustomed to.

Wendy stares on in pure amazement as Jung-Kook finishes signing an autograph for a screaming girl, patting her head gently as she whisks away in delight. “Tae-Yong- _sshi_ , I commend you for doing this for our club. I could say thank-you a million times, but truly, I give you my gratitude.”

Absentmindedly, Jung-Kook responds, his eyes concentrating on the album before him, “Not to worry, Wendy- _noona_. Just make sure you give Ho-Seokkie- _hyung_ a kiss at the end of all of this, alright?”

Wendy does a double take. “Uh, what did you just say?”

“Er,” Jung-Kook coughs rather loudly, hoping to dissipate her lingering suspicions. “Wendy- _sshi_! Ah, look! More fans! Come, come!”

* * *

 

The special event closes promptly after an hour, and Jung-Kook was able to give his arm, growing sore from the numerous signatures that he had to sign, a rest. He spends the remainder of the meeting teaching Cherry Bomb and Limitless, and while some of the more advanced members did find certain moves unorthodox and questionably simplified, they didn’t bring it up.

Jung-Kook has to admit, being Lee Tae-Yong for an afternoon was certainly something he wouldn’t mind doing again, especially if it helped his friend make a profit. Aside from the fatigue, he didn’t mind it much – the girls ate up his sweet-talking words of encouragement, blushing crazily whenever he locked his hands with theirs. However, amongst the sea of one hundred or so girls that he met, he finds it fairly concerning that none of them were Ye-Rim.

Ho-Seok was ever the perfect wingman, scouting for the younger girl with watchful eyes. Still, the line-up (Which was requested to be put on for an additional half-hour) was now only left with a few more fans and the rest of the members already returned home. Even Ho-Seok has to admit, “It’s strange for her to be _this_ late. Or perhaps not come at all.”

Turning his head to look at Wendy, he asks, “Is Ye-Rimmie sick or something?”

At that, Jung-Kooks’ ears perk up. Wendy clasps her hands together. “Ah! No, she’s just coming a little later because – “

She wasn’t even able to finish her sentence, because at that exact moment, the door bursts open and much to Jung-Kook’s delightfully dancing heart, Ye-Rim _does_ show up. She seems to be a little bit more dolled up today, wearing what looks to be a pink one-piece rather than a baggy sweatshirt and jeans. Her face is flushing when Jung-Kook eyes her up and down; he’s having some trouble trying to keep it together, sensing the first hiccup emerging.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, Wendy- _unni_! I got distracted after class.” Ye-Rim’s attention then focuses on Jung-Kook, and she greets him with a bashful smile. Jung-Kook can officially conclude: Her presence was a better form of aerobic activity in comparison to anything else. “Tae-Yong- _sshi_ , even though I completely missed your dance demonstration, I hope that I can be the last person that you sign for today.”

It wasn’t until Ho-Seok slaps Jung-Kook painfully in the upper arm that he finally snaps back to reality. “ _Hic_ - _hic_ - _hic,_ o-of course! Please, have a seat.”

She’s awfully near him, he thinks to himself. So, so close, that he could smell the scent of vanilla and cinnamon wafting through the air.

“You- _hic-hic-hic_ -y-you…you smell like _hic-hic_ cookies!” is the first thing he blurts out as she hands him the album. Wendy couldn’t help but snigger teasingly, while Ho-Seok sighs at how absolutely lame the younger man could be.

_You smell like cookies? REALLY, NOW, JEON JUNG-KOOK?_

* * *

 

Ho-Seok makes a suggestion to Wendy to leave Ye-Rim and “Tae-Yong” for a little while, considering that the younger girl was a huge fan after all. They end up doing some clean-up work, while Ye-Rim and Jung-Kook were able to chat for a little bit longer.

“I’ve been a fan of you for quite some time, Tae-Yong- _sshi_. Ever since you were in the SM Rookies group.” Ye-Rim tells him ecstatically. “I really enjoy your raps, especially in Limitless.” Jung-Kook finds it difficult to hide his smug smile.

“Limitless is my favourite song, too.” And it _was_ true.  

He asks her more about her schoolwork, and at that, Ye-Rim’s eyes completely light up. “I’m studying biology.” She goes on a rather long, endless ramble about mitochondria and cell membranes when she notices Jung-Kook staring at her with a certain adoration in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I must be taking up a lot of your time, aren’t I?”

Jung-Kook shakes his head, flipping through the Firetruck album for Tae-Yong’s photo. “Not at all, Ye-Rim- _sshi_.” That, too, was also true. It was a nice, refreshing change to see someone get so fiery and passionate about something that they truly enjoyed.  “ _Hic-hic-hic_.”

“Are you alright? You seem to be hiccupping quite a bit.”

“O-oh, don’t worry about me! _Hic-hic_ , I do this uh, all the time.”

Ye-Rim laughs. “You remind me a little bit of a person I know.”

“Really, now?” Jung-Kook tilts his head to the side, oblivious to the very fact that she was referring to him. “And who might that be?”

“He’s a little silly,” she muses.

_Hmph. That’s not me._

“And a tiny bit of a nervous wreck.”

_…That is also not me._

“But, he’s also quite cute.”

Well, that doesn’t really help the situation much. Jung-Kook nears the end of the collection of NCT albums that Ye-Rim had given him (“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” “No, no, no. Me sign all of them for you!”), a little disheartened that she had potential interest in this unknown person. Still, he shakes the feeling away, reminding himself that once again as Lee Tae-Yong, his sole purpose was to make Ye-Rim feel like the luckiest fan in the world.

Aware of the K-Pop fan culture, he drums his fingers against the table and asks curiously, “Don’t you have a post-it note or something for me to answer questions for?”

“Actually, I do not,” Ye-Rim replies with a sheepish grin. “However, I do have a fan-gift for you!” Digging through her backpack, she pulls out a gigantic fluffy pillow in the shape of a Mudkip. Yes, the blue, gilled Pokémon that had the most revolting final evolution form. Noticing Jung-Kooks’ flabbergasted expression, she adds, “I hope that the new year brings about much success and good luck for NCT.” She interlocks her hands with his, sending delightful jumpy sparks that spread from his fingertips to the rest of his body. “ _Oppa_ , _hwaiting_!”

Oh, my God. _Oh, my God_. Ye-Rim just called him _oppa_. Not necessarily with his original identity.

But still.

“And _hic-hic_ , you, too, Ye-Rim- _sshi_ , I hope you excel in your studies and achieve all of your dreams.”

“With _oppa_ ’s encouragement, I think I can do it.”

Oh, my God. Not again.

* * *

 

Later that night, after Jung-Kook had changed back into his original form, he was found creeping around the SM Building in Samcheong-Dong in the frigid cold. He has his hands in his pockets, pacing back and forth for warmth. Rumors were about that Tae-Yong generally finished his training with his group members around 10 P.M., and much to his chagrin, the presence of numerous girls there proves his point. Whispering ecstatically amongst themselves, they start to giggle when they notice the giant plush toy in Jung-Kooks’ arms.

Finally, half an hour later, the door opens and a group of young men staggers outwards with long padded jackets and toques. The majority of the girls’ crowd around a much younger, shorter man whom Jung-Kook presumes to be Mark, while Tae-Yong – hiding from view – was idly scrolling through his phone as the rest of the members were occupied.

_Oh, my God. This is freaking awkward._

Jung-Kook coughs loudly. “Um, Tae-Yong- _sshi_?”        

The original Tae-Yong – completely oblivious to the fact that most of his fans were on Pann and Tumblr typing up their earlier fan account of him – snaps his head up, looking a little bewildered as to why a young man would be talking to him. “May I help you?” He asks politely. “I’m sorry to be rude, but I rarely have male fans.” His voice trails off, but is soon replaced with overpowering excitement. “Are you perhaps one of them?!”

“Uh, no. I do like your songs, but no.”

“Oh.” The disappointment that echoed in the back of Tae-Yong's voice was so real.

“However, my friend, Ye-Rim, wishes to give this to you,” Jung-Kook holds the plush toy out towards Tae-Yong. “She’s a rather big fan of you, and wants me to pass it on to you.”

Tae-Yong, however, wasn’t stupid. He takes it, and then asks curiously with a grin, “Let me guess. Is this Ye-rim your girlfriend?”

Jung-Kook doesn’t say anything else, but the undeniably cute pout on his face was already enough.

* * *

 

“No freaking way” is what Jung-Kook says the moment he arrives home, with Ho-Seok frantically texting him to check NCT’s latest Tweet.

As it turns out, Lee Tae-Yong – a man whom he had impersonated for several hours and only spoken to for a few minutes – was his greatest wing-man of all.

Their latest Tweet, which was only posted more than half an hour ago, was Tae-Yong’s selca, with his arms wrapped around the Mudkip that Jung-Kook had in his possession just moments before.

 _“Hehe, thank-you! ^^”_  

According to Wendy, Ye-Rim was blissfully elated and on cloud nine for the rest of the night. And for Jung-Kook, he sighs in relief, nursing a heat pack and popping a Tylenol to treat the cold he caught after freezing to death for Tae-Yong. Knowing that something as simple as that had made her content was already enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jung-Kook is slowly, but surely becoming that beloved character of mine where he does embarrassing, but adorably cute things to impress his crush and make them happy in the strangest of ways LOL. I hope you enjoyed this one! Next up, ????? See you all very soon! :3


	3. Dino Lee

Where the nickname Dino came from, Jung-Kook has absolutely no clue. Was it because his facial expressions reminded others of the extinct reptile? Glancing at his Facebook pictures, and then at an online Googled image of a stegosaurus, Jung-Kook didn’t really think so. The boy had features that fused into the picture-perfect pretty boy that women often idolized.

But to be frank, that didn’t matter much. What did, however, was the fact that Dino Lee Chan went to the same junior high, high school and inevitably, the same university as Ye-Rim.

Call it a creepy coincidence, or sheer, dumb luck; Jung-Kook couldn’t help that jealous pang that hit his heart when he saw them study first-year chemistry in the library together, _especially_ when that handsome-as-fuck kid just _had_ to flick those dirty eraser bits at the younger girl teasingly, leaving her a giggly, lovable mess. Then again, what exactly was he envious about in the first place? The duo have known each other for almost two decades; he had to remind himself that their friendship was strictly platonic, even though the actions proved otherwise.    

From what Nam-Joon could eavesdrop on the past few tutorials they’ve held, Dino and Ye-Rim shared nearly the exact same schedule with one another. Dino always boastfully proclaimed that he was in “Pre-Med”, which was synonymous to being in Molecular Biology, leading Jung-Kook to believe that Ye-Rim was, too. He couldn’t restrain his proud grin; that girl had such high aspirations, it only inspired him to work even harder.

“Just imagine, though,” Nam-Joon commented out of the blue one night. “If Dino and Ye-Rimmie develop feelings for one another, start dating, go to medical school together and end up getting married, they’ll be a powerhouse couple – “ Immediately, the older man shut his mouth once he noticed Jung-Kook sending daggers through his eyes. The mental image of the duo living a life similar to the main characters in Descendants of the Sun was too much for him to bear.  

Aside from that, the two often bussed home together at around the same time and also made use of campus resources well, a la going to the gym regularly whenever they didn’t have impending midterms. And after some small talk prior to tutorial, Nam-Joon had informed Jung-Kook the most crucial piece of information: Dino and Ye-Rim were partaking in the upcoming annual half-marathon.

Jung-Kook loved – no, make that _adored_ – sports. He naturally excelled in them, and having been gifted with superior athletic abilities (Yoongi would call that a curse, but his opinion was worthless because he was a lethargic sloth), he immediately slapped his hand down on the table, spilling coffee everywhere as he declared, “I’m going.”

Yoongi, on the other hand, only stared wide-eyed at the determined younger man. “You’re fuckin’ crazy.”

Jung-Kook flared his nostrils in response like a bull. “Try me.”

“Do you realize…” Yoongi began slowly. “That a half-marathon is around twenty kilometres?”

“…” The blank stare on Jung-Kook’s face was enough for Yoongi to realize that he wasn’t comprehending what the problem was.

“Which is…” Yoongi continued matter-of-factly. “Not even a quarter of what you can do without fainting and yelling to the Gods to make it rain so that the 5 K race would be cancelled?” And in actuality, that did happen once. No details are necessary; only an image of Jung-Kook, kneeling in the middle of the street with his arms in the air and eyes closed whilst other curious runners stared at him in awe, screaming, “ _MAKE IT RAIN, BITCH!_ ” at the halfway mark is all you need.

Oh, was that all there was to it? Jung-Kook laughed, much to Yoongi’s dismay. “Psh, _hyung_. The way you put it, it’s as if I committed some felony.  The half-marathon is twenty kilometres, which means I have to do the 5 K…” He paused for a moment, using his fingers to complete third-grade math. “Four times.”

“Besides!” He added, not an ounce of worry in his body. “I’m a naturally gifted athlete! I won the 500 m relay when I was in elementary school!”

“You finished the 5 K in an hour,” Yoongi deadpanned. “I was at the finish line, fanning you when Ho-Seokkie was trying to revive you with water! Oh, and by the way, you’re great at weight-training but you don’t have the stamina that is necessary for – “  

“Then, it’ll take me four hours, then, okay?” Jung-Kook retorted, completely dismissing Yoongi’s concerns. “Geez, _hyung_. You need to have some hope in me! Stop being such a Debbie-Downer, sometimes!”

Unfortunately, that was all Yoongi could provide: Moral support, and constant inaudible prayers that Jeon Jung-Kook would survive the torment that would plague his legs for the rest of his life.

* * *

 

On the days that Jung-Kook wasn’t in school, he went to a private gym far away from campus to ask for personal training from the renowned Kim Seokjin – AKA Mr. Worldwide Handsome that every single girl and guy wished to have critique their lunges and correct their posture. Kim Seokjin charged forty-five dollars per hour, but for Jung-Kook, money wasn’t necessarily a problem.

With all things considered, he with his friend and friends generally helped each other out.

“Please, please, please, please, _hyung_?”

Usually, anyway.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to train for a half-marathon.” Seokjin pursed his lips together firmly.

“That’s right.”

“In less than 3 weeks.”

Unperturbed, undaunted, Jung-Kook nodded enthusiastically. “Mmhmm!”

The first thing Jung-Kook felt was a hard, painful smack at the back of his head. “Do you realize how crazy you sound?!” Seokjin scolded angrily. “It takes at least 4 months of training. Minimum!”

“Not like I have a choice! I’m cramped for time.”

“That ain’t the only thing that’s going to be cramping.” Seokjin muttered, turning away from Jung-Kook.

“C’mon, _hyung_ ,” Jung-Kook pestered annoyingly, prodding Seokjin’s bulging bicep. “You want to see your precious Kookie happily in a relationship, right?”

“Yeah, I do, but I want to see you dating without having to be disabled from the waist below.”

It did take much wheedling.  But then again, Seokjin sighed to himself for the umpteenth time as he observed Jung-Kook jogging on the treadmill at a moderately fast pace, how could he ever say no to those bunny teeth?

* * *

 

He couldn’t help but admit it: He looks mighty fine in those shorts. The latter he, being Dino Lee, that is. Examining himself up close in the mirror, Jung-Kook soon realizes that Dino was built quite similarly to Tae-Yong. And with limbs so long, he was sure that this would only add to his speed for the race today.

As the plan was set, Dino was coerced into joining the campus track team for a meet all the way in Busan at the last minute. Ye-Rim, while surprised, had agreed to run alone, meaning Jung-Kook would have the opportunity to join Ye-Rim in a nice four-hour jog together, telling her that, “Oh, they didn’t really need me anymore!”

“And be all smelly and sweaty at the end of it while you two hug. Mm, sounds like the perfect date to me!” Tae-Hyung mutters sarcastically.

“Shut up, _hyung_. Well?” Jung-Kook whirls around, his hands in the pockets of his running shorts. Glancing down at his attire and then back up at him, he asks, “What do you think?”

“I thought you told me to shut up.” Tae-Hyung snaps irritably.

“Shut up, _hyung_.”

“See?!”

* * *

 

He spots her right away in the sunlight, tying her shoe laces into a double knot before standing up for a quick stretch. She looks awfully good today, with her hair in a high ponytail, that t-shirt and those shorts – especially those shorts that were showing off her legs because God damn girl, how toned was she?

_Jeon Jung-Kook, now is not the appropriate time._

Taking a deep breath, he squeezes past a loud crowd and taps her on the shoulder. Ye-Rim’s stoic expression immediately changes into one of giddy excitement. “Oh, my goodness! Channie, you’re here!” Opening up her arms, she pulls Jung-Kook into a tight embrace before letting go. Jung-Kook smiles blushingly, letting his nerves get the best of him whenever he was in her presence.

“ _Hic-hic,_ it’s nice seeing you, too. _Hic-hic._ ”

“Why are you hiccupping?” She then puts a hand on her hip, sending him a teasing look. “Are you nervous that I’m going to beat your best score today?”

 _Not really, but okay._ “ _Hic-hic,_ you bet! _Hic-hic._ ”

“If I win, you owe me _ddeokbokki_. Deal?” Holding her fist out for a bump, he follows suit, feeling a tad bit regretful that while he would love to treat her to rice cakes (And much more food afterwards, possibly), it would be the original Dino who would have that chance.

The two prepare for the starting signal in silence, and Ye-Rim glances over at Jung-Kook with a bright, reassuring smile. Squeezing his forearm gently, she says, “I won’t go _too_ fast for you.” Was it just Jung-Kook imagining things? Or, was there a particular playful glint in her eye when she said that? Also, were platonic friends able to touch each other so much like this? A little prod over there, a slight calming rub here –    

He remains stagnant until someone coughs in annoyance behind him, shouting, “ _Yah_ , the race already started! Are you going to move or what?!”

Ye-Rim, already a few steps ahead, watches Jung-Kook in delight. The young man in question snaps back to reality, muttering an apologetic, “Uh, oh – yeah!”

And off, they went.

* * *

 

The first hour of the half-marathon proceeds smoothly, much to Jung-Kooks’ amazement. The course passed through a quaint shopping district, crossing over the bridge to the Gangnam area, criss-crossing through a park that looked over the _Cheongyecheon_ before it swirled back to the outskirts of _Myeong-Dong_. Eventually, the crowd of runners disperse into their own comfortable paces. Some ran ahead, with rumours circulating through the participants that someone already finished, clocking in at an hour and fifteen minutes, while others lagged behind.

As for Ye-Rim and Jung-Kook, they run steadily (Or, at least according to the FitBit that Jung-Kook borrowed, at a pace of 5:52 minutes per kilometre), breaths and strides eventually synching with one another. She made the perfect running partner, for reasons that were not just associated with her physical appearance.

Every time they finished a kilometre, Ye-Rim would send him beautifully charming smiles of encouragement, followed by, “You’re doing so well!” It frightens Jung-Kook that he didn’t fall apart, right then and there. To add to Jung-Kooks’ astonishment, he still had the lung capacity to answer her questions and let out occasional hiccoughs here and there. Maybe it was because of how there was never pregnant silent pauses between them – Ye-Rim making sure to keep the conversation going – that Jung-Kook found the stamina to keep up without feeling fatigue creeping onto his body.

Her voice – light and jovial – revives him better than water, is what he soon realizes.

“Are you going to attend the Pre-Med 101 Info Session on Friday?”

“ _Hic-hic_ , uh,” Jung-Kook stammers, unsure if Dino was even on going in the first place. “Perhaps? Why? Are you going?”

“The Dean of Medical Studies from SNU is going to be there! Of course, it’d be nice to go.”

Damn, she really wasn’t kidding about pursuing medicine. Her sky-high ambitions made Jung-Kook feel a tad bit lazy and ashamed – but he _was_ proud of her. Good on Ye-Rim, really.

“I fucking – “ At that, Jung-Kook couldn’t help but spit out his water in surprise. Ye-Rim gasps, stepping away just in time to evade the spurt of liquid. “Um,” She asks uncertainly, slowing her pace. “Are you okay?”

“ _Hic-hic,_ you, _hic,_ swear?”

“Uh, you’ve heard me swear tons of times.”

“Um, _hic-hic_ , I mean, uh, so loud, ya know.”

“Well, I have too much pent-up anger so hear me out, okay?” Ye-Rim huffs, puffing out her cheeks cutely. “That Chemistry professor is too much of a dick to – “

The rest of her ramble fades into a jumble of incoherent slurs in Jung-Kook’s mind. The only thing that occupied it was the fact that she swore. She knows profanity.

And Jung-Kook _loves_ a girl that spoke her mind. Absolutely adores it. In _most_ cases, anyway.

By the fifth water station, she couldn’t help herself. Nudging him in the chest, she asks curiously, “You’re awfully quiet today, Channie. Something on your mind?” Ever so perceptive, but in Jung-Kooks’ situation, this wasn’t exactly the best case scenario. So, he takes a swig of water, capping the lid and then proceeds to shake his head.

“ _Hic-hic_ , nah. I, _hic_ , would prefer if you talk today, that’s all. _Hic._ Let’s continue?”

As Ye-Rim continues to tut about his abnormal ailment and how he should practice proper breathing techniques, Jung-Kook was rather certain that there’s a type of science (Hormonal, or biological, whatever) that was associated with how comfortable he felt being around her. Even when that person had droplets of sweat dripping down her temples, and had heavy breathing from the constant cardio, it made her _more_ attractive.

Disgusting, but true.

“So,” She begins to say as they reach the last ten kilometres of the race. “I’m being quite rude, but how’s your love life doing?”

Even with the aerobic activity, Jung-Kook feels his heart pause for a few brief seconds. He was so sure that he was going to collapse from the rather innocent (Yet, ironically frightening) question. Because holy fucking shit, he didn’t even bother ~~stalking~~ researching about Dino’s personal life. Sure, he could blame it on carelessness, but he was preoccupied with other things (Ie:  Doing one hundred push-ups as strength training).

Frantically panicking internally, Jung-Kook lets out an awkward, prolonged cough before replying, “Uh, _hic-hic_ , how-how’s your love life?”

Ye-Rim contorts her smile into a frown. “Well, I don’t exactly know what he wants. I thought we hit it off quite well, but…” Her voice trails off, and she shrugs casually, as if trying to prove to him _and_ herself that she wasn’t hurt at all. “Ah. I don’t know what to do with that kid. But, let’s not talk about him.”

Jung-Kook nods in agreement with rather furrowed, slanted eyebrows. Mainly because he himself didn’t want to hear any more about idiotic playboys who only knew how to toy with her emotions, and partially because he was trying to rack his brain to think of _whom_ she could be talking about. Maybe it was that second-year kid that kept waiting around after her lectures to bombard her with flowers, ugh.

“But, yeah! Other than that, life is great!” She perks up optimistically to reassure him, mistaking his grumpy expression for concern. “How are you and Hoshi- _oppa_ doing?” Lowering her voice slightly, she adds with concern, “Don’t tell me you guys are still in that push-and-pull stage.”

Firstly, _HUH? THE_ Kwon Soonyoung, voted MVP of the basketball team and Most Dateable…was _gay_?

Secondly, _WHAT?_ Kwon Soonyoung and Lee Chan were in an established _some_?

Thirdly, _oh, my God._ Because while Jung-Kook was completely unaware and had no intentions of finding out Dino’s sexuality so intrusively, he thinks about it now, and couldn’t help but smile tenderly at the thought of the two of them sharing ice-creams and holding hands together. They would make such an endearing couple, the epitome of fluffy moments –

Jung-Kook really had to stop this nonsense. It’s unbelievable how many times he has to trip over unsuspecting water bottles, or in this particular case, over his two left feet, before he learns his lesson.

“Ow. **_Fuck_**.”

* * *

 

The hiccups never stop, even after twisting his ankle. In fact, the rate at which they were popping up were slowly increasing with each passing minute that he was on Ye-Rim’s back, her arms straining to keep him afloat.

The rest of the participants were already catching up and quickly overtaking the pair, but not without sending them (Especially Ye-Rim) pitiful glances. How mortifyingly embarrassing that a _girl_ had to provide physical support to get him to the finish line. How ridiculous they must look right now, like tortoises – Jung-Kook being the heavy-as-fuck shell. But for Jung-Kook, this was fine.

In fact, it was more than fine.

This was Havana: Him, his arms wounding around her neck, and her, slowly but surely bringing them to the end with less than a half kilometre to go. She wasn’t willing to give up now. “Are you crazy?” She questions dramatically when he gently suggests that they end the race. “We didn’t train together just to quit now!”

Kim Ye-Rim was absolutely amazing, and Jung-Kook wasn’t complimenting her just for the sake of it.

“Channie,” Ye-Rim asks, her breath heavy. “You still holding on alright?”

“ _Hic-hic,_ like a koala.” _A content, satisfied koala, which does not need to survive on eucalyptus leaves._  

She laughs, turning her head to side eye him teasingly. “Lee Chan, you certainly owe me your life with the way you’re choking me right now.”

“ _Hic-hic_ , maybe I should hold on tighter?” He wants to do that. He _really_ wants to do that.

“Save that for Hoshi- _oppa_ , Jesus!  You just wait ‘til I get there, and then I’ll give you more shit than I have ever since we’ve been friends.”

“Feisty.”  

Ye-Rim lets out another amused chuckle before a loud, booming voice of “What in the fucking – “ captures her attention. Looking ahead, Jung-Kook is completely horrified to see Min Yoongi and Kim Seokjin together standing at the very front as onlookers, hands palming their foreheads. He could literally _hear_ their impending ramblings of _‘I told you so’_ and _‘Jeon Jung-Kook, you’re a piece of work.’_  

But, who gives a shit when Ye-Rim gave him something so much better than a hug?

* * *

 

“We told you, didn’t we?” Yoongi scolds, arms crossed in steaming anger.

“…Yes.”

“We fucking warned you, didn’t we?” It was very rare for Kim Seokjin to cuss. But, Jung-Kook presumes this was an appropriate occasion for the F-Bomb to be dropped.

“…Yes.”

“I’m never doing this again,” Seokjin continues, raising his arms in the air. “Even if it _is_ for the love of your life – “

Jung-Kook only blushes, leading Yoongi to mutter more curse words under his breath for what was yet to come.

The day after (Preceded by many tirades and being reprimanded for horrible life decisions), Jung-Kook unwillingly pays a visit to Dino’s house, which was a five-minute walk from campus. He briefly raps on the door before slipping away into the bushes. A few seconds later, the door opens to Dino Lee with an untamed bed-head and a toothbrush hanging precariously from one side of his mouth – Hoshi Kwon’s head pops into view a moment later, snuggling into the side of Dino’s neck.

Dino picks up Jung-Kooks’ consolation prize in confusion – a participation medal and plaque – with a note attached to the side, informing him to not ask any curious questions and to ‘act natural’. Not exactly the clearest of instructions.  

And although Jung-Kook’s heart was pounding nervously for the week that followed, he’s pleased to hear from Nam-Joon that the Dino didn’t raise any suspicions, especially with Ye-Rim, treating the situation as it was. Jung-Kook, however, is still limping around, arriving to his lectures five minutes later than usual, grouchier than he has ever been.

However, his spirits were greatly lifted a few days after the marathon.

In the newspaper, a candid photograph of Jung-Kook and Ye-Rim was published in the sports section. He immediately cuts it out, doing a rather poor job due to the trembling in his hands, and – cutting out his head from his own school picture – pastes it overtop Dino’s face.

“Now, I have my very own Jung-Ri picture, see!” He boasts proudly when Tae-Hyung and Nam-Joon come over to visit the injured man.

Tae-Hyung sends him a look that read ‘ _I’m through with you_ ’; Nam-Joon scoffs at Jung-Kooks’ lack of arts and crafts skills. But honestly, Jung-Kook doesn’t give a shit.

Regardless of the immense pain that tortures his body now, Kim Ye-Rim was worth the trouble, and probably more.

  


	4. Park Soo-Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BtoB, especially Sungjae, will be making a brief cameo in this Chapter. However, he'll be considered as a villain here, as some of the things he does borderline on creepy and possessive, and may be triggering for some readers (Harassment via text, stalking). I do not mean any harm by painting them in a negative light (I'm a huge fan of them!), but I did need a bad character to complete this story XD. If at any point when you're reading that you feel discomfort, please feel free to click out and accept my apologies in advance!

Park Soo-Young was undeniably one of the most coveted girls on campus. Not only was she gorgeously stunning to boot with mermaid-length vibrant red hair and flashed charming smiles everywhere she went, she was intelligent (A _biomedical engineer_ ), juggling a full course load whilst acting as President for the UNICEF club, treasurer for a few others and secretary for the inconspicuous groups to help them gain momentum and popularity at school.

Needless to say, she was adored by both boys and girls, alike. Kim Ye-Rim was one of them, and the two (According to Tae-Hyung, anyway) were often seen together during their free, study-free weekends to catch up on coffee as Soo-Young caringly treated the younger girl to any beverage and cake flavour she liked. Suffice to say, Ye-Rim was absolutely charmed.

Jeon Jung-Kook, however, was not one of them. Because hidden beneath that sweet, candy-like exterior of hers, he was already aware since his first year that she was – for lack of a better phrase – ‘ _always acting as if she was high 25/8_ ’. And that was saying a lot.

Then again, with all things considered, they were (Miraculously) able to form a pleasant friendship with one another. She liked his curt honesty; he appreciated how she managed to open him up ‘like a book’, she used to say.

Thus, it was no surprise that Soo-Young _knew_ he needed assistance with something when he ended up stalling around the classroom after the weekly UNICEF executives-exclusive meeting. He toed around the room awkwardly, avoiding judging gazes as the rest of the students filed out one by one; she raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, and then sat back down, her remaining belongings left on the table. “Yes, Jeon Jung-Kook, how may I help you?” Adding slyly, she teases, “Or, perhaps you want to help me with our semester budget?”

“Uh,” Jung-Kook didn’t know where to begin. But, he knew it had to be done. He locked an intense, determined gaze with her, and stammered, “I-I’m infatuated, and I don’t know what to do?”

* * *

 

Some days, Jung-Kook really loved Park Soo-Young. Platonically, by the way, if things weren’t clear enough. Other days, he loathed her. Like now, where she was tearing up from amusement over his misfortunes. She was like his Yoongi- _hyung_ , only that she was prettier and didn’t daydream in lecture. “I can see the newspaper headline, Jung-Kook- _yah_ – ‘The Unlucky J.J.K. Fails to Capture Pubescent Girls’ Heart, Heart Withers Away into Unbearably Depressing Nothingness’.”

“Shut up, _noona_ ,” Flushing, he turned away from her huffily.

“Okay, alright, I’m sorry,” She replied, smiling apologetically. “Well, what do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to apologize to her on your behalf?”

“Well, no,” He countered almost immediately, voice faltering afterwards. “I just – I just don’t have the courage to speak to her about the incident, alright? It’s difficult to say,” In a much higher pitch, he imitated, “ _Oh, Jung-Kookie didn’t mean to touch your boobs!_ ”

“I mean, if you two _do_ end up dating, you’re going to be touching much more than breasts.” Soo-Young would’ve continued in much greater detail, but seeing how the poor boy was turning redder by the millisecond, she thought otherwise. “So,” Clearing her throat, she continued, “You’ve impersonated both Tae-Yong and Dino…for what purpose?”

Jung-Kook shrugged, pouting his lower lip out. “Well, I did want to get to know her better.”

“Aww!”

He sighed. “Shut up, _noona_. I just want to make it up to her, and apologize. In ways that will make her happy, y’know?”

“ ** _AWW_**!” Soo-Young shrieked, hands interlocked together in a tight grip. “This is _too_ wholesome! If she found out, she’d be so stoked!”

“Actually,” He interrupted sharply. “Did she ever mention anything in particular to you about her love life? She seemed a little down when she was mentioning it to Dino.”

“Beats me. She _always_ talks about her schoolwork, her friends and her family. But never about her romantic matters. She did mention she failed her organic chemistry midterm the other day, so she’s tipping between a C- and a D right now. But, other than that, I wouldn’t know anything else that would make her upset.” She deepened her frown in concern. “She’s always so perky.”

Jung-Kook glanced at Soo-Young uncertainly. “Have you checked up on her ever since then?”

Soo-Young responded guiltily, “Well, I did promise to take her out – “

That settled it, then. Jung-Kook raised his arm, waving it frantically without giving a single flying fuck for the consequences yet to come. “I’ll do it!” He screeched.

* * *

 

Jung-Kook isn’t exactly the most innocent of boys.

With his powers, he will admit that he _has_ impersonated women before, mainly to test the waters and put himself in the (Actual) shoes of a woman for a single day – namely, his mother’s loafers. All he could say was that women certainly lived a much more complicated life in comparison to men, and that he had to applaud his mother for putting up with so much shit.

He attempted with the greatest difficulty to explain this to Soo-Young, whom originally did not agree to the plan. “Who knows what you might do with my body?” But after much pleading and reassurances that he would definitely not take advantage of her womanly parts, she reluctantly gave in.

Who was she to deny his happiness, and Ye-Rim’s potential happiness? Still, she stated firmly, there were three golden rules that Jeon Jung-Kook had to follow for the duration that he would be in Park Soo-Youngs’ two-inch heeled pumps.

One:  “You solemnly swear that you will wear whatever outfit picked personally by Park Soo-Young, including undergarments. You will come to my house on the day of the Soo-Rim hang-out ( _“You guys have a ship name?”_ ), and allow me to dress you. You will keep your eyes shut during the entire time, and you will _NOT_ look at my cleavage. I’ll have a camera attached to your shirt just to spy on you so you do _not_ let your eyes wander.” He snorted. Like he would. Especially if Ye-Rim was in front of him.

Two (Because she was already watching him open his mouth for impending protests of injustice):  “You solemnly swear that you will _not_ go to the bathroom alone. Ask Ye-Rim to join you, because that’s what us girls do.” He then decided to ask if he was not allowed to drink any water for the day; however, he decided to only keep his mouth shut for his sanity’s sake. Maybe he’ll just do what he’s told to avoid getting into more trouble.

Three, which was probably the cherry on top of this ridiculous situation:  “You will be joining Ye-Rim on a dessert hop, which means you will be eating sweets the entire day.” Almost automatically, Jung-Kook jumped up with a curt shake of his head.

“ _Noona_ , I. Fucking. Hate. Sweets.”

“I know.”

“I can’t _stand_ them.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Chocolate makes me want to vomit. My fingers start to curl whenever I see cupcakes. I detest donuts. Éclairs are evilly atrocious. Macarons are madly annoying and overrated.”

And as much as Jung-Kook tried to think up more alliterations to apply to the sinfully sweet goods, Soo-Young only rolled her eyes at him after she was finished examining her nails with a bored expression on her face. “You want this date or not?”

* * *

 

“Bloody hell.”

The dress hugged onto his curves uncomfortably, and he kept tugging at the ends that continued to ride up his thighs. It wasn’t until Soo-Young threw a pair of short shorts (Safety shorts, she corrected snidely) at him then he felt a teensy bit better – albeit not by much. He had to give it to her: Her skill in make-up was legitimately like pieces of artwork, making her completely indistinguishable from her regular transit-to-school attire.

But, still. This dress was much too short. Too, too short for his liking. 

“For God’s sake, Jung-Kook,” Soo-Young scolded, trying her best to conceal the humour hidden in her voice. “This is what a one-piece is, and what y’all men always wants us to wear when in reality, it’s the most ridiculous thing ever. Stop trying to pull it down, you’re going to wear the fabric out!”

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Then, down at his exposed thighs. Then, exasperatedly, at the three-inch heeled boots that Soo-Young had tossed him to ‘ _complete the ensemble_ ’ – whatever the fuck that meant. “Bloody _fucking_ hell. How the hell am I supposed to wear those without killing myself crossing the street?”

“You sound like Rupert Grint in the fifth Harry Potter movie.”

“Well, that time around, he was acting. I’m actually wearing something with lace and a dodgy old collar.” Jung-Kook snapped, sitting on Soo-Young’s bed to shove her shoes on with great difficulty. “How do they even fit up your legs? What in the fuck are these things?”

“Integral to any girls’ wardrobe, _duh_ ,” She tuts sarcastically.

Instead, Jung-Kook only collapses onto the comforter in defeat. “Being a girl is so _hard_!”

“Now you know, huh? C’mon.” She slapped his arm encouragingly. “Don’t sleep on your braids! Get up, you have to practice walking without stumbling!”

Frankly, Jung-Kook didn’t even have the heart to tell her that he was so accident-prone around Ye-Rim that even practicing ‘that model strut’ wasn’t going to help improve his clumsiness. So, he thought to himself as he struggled to walk perfectly across Soo-Young’s flat, the only bright side to this was that he…

Fuck that. There was no bright side to this after all. At least his make-up was (Quote on quote) ‘ _on fleek_ ’.

“But, try not to sweat so much, alright? I wasted tons of product for you.”

…Alright, then. Maybe it was time for Jung-Kook to whisper a quick prayer to the Gods of Beauty and Make-Up that his pores wouldn’t cry so much today.

* * *

 

Soo-Young was attractive. There was absolutely no doubt about it; even Jung-Kook had to admit. If she was able to make heads turn on campus when she wearing spectacles and oversized hoodies, what would happen under the circumstance that she would be so fashionably styled?

Jung-Kook soon realizes the reality of it all, and to be frank, he wasn’t comfortable with all of the remarks that he was receiving. Every single step he took (Albeit slightly wobbly) in the skin-tight dress and black bag that Soo-Young lent him, there was always a man – regardless of age – whom stopped in their tracks to cat-call at him.

“Hey, baby. Your thighs look toned – want to work out some time?” How sleazy.

“Ew, _fuck_ no.”

“If not him, how ‘bout me?”

“No means _no_.”

Jesus Christ, whatever happened to chivalry, and learning to appreciate a woman without having to be subjected to so much? And if this was what happened on a regular day out, what about those whom were going about their days and completing their chores?

Man, Soo-Young was right – being a girl in the 21st century is a difficult and emotionally-taxing task.

Still, maybe because he was embodying Park Soo-Young, he felt her self-confidence projecting onto himself, as well. He held his head high, strutting down the sidewalk intimidatingly as he glared viciously at those whom dared to make crude comments about Soo-Young’s voluptuous figure. He has to hand it to her for surviving this on a day-to-day basis, then secretly hoped that Ye-Rim – cute as a button, naively innocent Ye-Rim – didn’t have to suffer through similar bullshit.

Finally slowing to a halt, he glances at the storefront before him, sighing heavily. Inside, he could see Ye-Rim – her fluffy blonde hair tied into an intricate knot, wearing a sky-blue skirt and white lace blouse –standing in line to be seated, glancing at her wristwatch every few seconds. Gosh, she looks too pretty for this universe; he could feel his cheeks heating. Stepping into the store, he – his hands at his sides to pull down Soo-Young’s dress nervously – smiles cheerfully at the younger girl.

At the sight of him, Ye-Rim lets out a giggle and bounces enthusiastically towards him. Was there ever a time when she was _never_ bubbly? Seeing her like this was enough to make his heart flutter over how childishly cute her personality was. Holding out her arms, she engulfs Jung-Kook in a tight hug around the waist, catching him off guard and thus, stirring uncomfortable butterflies in his stomach once again.

“ _Unni_ , I’m so happy to see you!”

“ _Hic-hic_.” Oh, shit. Here we go. “M-me too, Ye-Rimmie!”

The younger girl lets out a light laugh. “It seems as if everyone I meet gets plagued with the hiccups nowadays.” That catches Jung-Kook a tad bit off guard – does that mean he, regardless of how poor his first impression was, continued to linger within her thoughts even now? But, he couldn’t say anymore, because the waitress directs them to their table.   

* * *

 

“I really have to bring my friends here more often.”

A sentence Jung-Kook didn’t expect himself to say, but yet, here he was, munching on sandwich after sandwich as Ye-Rim watches him scarf it down at their second stop of the afternoon (A high tea place), sipping tea daintily. “It’s so good, right?” She questions, smiling as she picks up a piece of chocolate ganache. “I’m glad you like it, _unni_. How’s your matcha latte? You haven’t really…touched it.”

“Oh, uh,” Jung-Kook stammers, glancing at his tea cup. The 3 Golden Rules that Soo-Young established earlier drift into his mind, and he grimaces. Because he can guarantee that even one single sip would send him into the bathroom within five minutes. “It’s just that ah, you know, _u-unni_ wants to take her time.” God damnit, it was so taxing to remember to refer to himself through female pronouns.

“Oh, okay!”

Thank goodness Ye-Rim never questioned much. And that she had a rather huge appetite, for someone so petite. She ate through her slice of cheesecake at the first café relatively quickly, baffling Jung-Kook. And once she noted the shocked expression on his face, she cutely poked his nose, saying, “Hey! Don’t steal my food!”

Not that he had any intentions of doing so in the first place, because sweets made the younger girl happy. And anything that made the younger girl smile was enough for him.

“What else did you want to eat today?”

“Hmm, well, didn’t you say that there was a great bubble tea place somewhere?”

_I did? W-wait, Soo-Young did? Fuck my life._

“Uh,” Jung-Kook stutters uncertainly, flapping his arms up and down. “Well, how about we – ?” He was soon interrupted by the ringing of a familiar K-Pop song.

“ _Oppa! Yah, yah, yah, yah, yah, yah, yah~”_

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Soo-Young’s cellphone just had to have such a beautiful song for a notification.

Wait.

Wait one moment. This wasn’t his phone at all. His ringtone was never this crazily articulate.

“Ah, sorry!” He squeaks apologetically, digging into the bag to pull out a very unfamiliar phone case decorated with fake jewels glued on everywhere. Peeking inside further, he – with a reddening face – brushes the extra tampons and pads away, thinking that he should probably stop himself while he had the chance.

With his uncomfortably manicured hands, he glances at the caller ID, only to find it named as Sungjae – and alarmingly, this ‘Sungjae’ had texted Soo-Young at least ten times within the last hour. Frozen in shock for a moment, he glances up at the worried-looking Ye-Rim before holding up a finger to say, “Will you please excuse me? _Hic-hic_. I need to uh – use the ladies’ room.”

“Yeah, sure…?”

_Sorry, noona. But, I have to break one of the rules today._

* * *

 

It took Jung-Kook a few heavy breaths of reassurance, but he finally mustered up all of his courage to enter the woman’s bathroom (Not without receiving a few judging gazes).

It was…a marvel, to say the least. In comparison to the men’s bathrooms that he was always accustomed to – where urine and other things were often found on the floors, or in worst cases, smeared on the walls like some amusing finger painting – there was none of that here.

The counters were clean, faucets wiped down until they were sparkling clean. Used paper towels were found exactly where they should be. And what the hell was this big block? Glancing at it more carefully, Jung-Kook soon realizes that he was fiddling with a vending machine of sorts that dispensed feminine hygiene products. He doesn’t need that. But maybe one day, he’ll need to know.

And how in the fuck did this place always smell like roses and chamomile? Was it – like the rumours had said – that women never pooped?

“ _Yah_ , move!” A voice screams before him when the door swings open abruptly. Jung-Kook couldn’t even make out who it was, but she immediately burst into one of the free bathrooms, locking it and let out the most massive fart that he had ever heard in his entire life.

Well, never mind that.

Jung-Kook quickly darts into a cubicle, and sits on the toilet seat (What did they spray that the urinal smelled like daisies? He needs to get Nam-Joon some) to dig out Soo-Young’s phone. He doesn’t mean to intrude, because if he were being frank, this Sungjae was interfering on his dessert date with Ye-Rim with his constant mugging.

_From:  6 Sungjae_

6? His last name must’ve been Yook, then? Soo-Young also had a photo attached to his contact name, but all Jung-Kook could make out was an Asian male with small eyes and black hair. That didn’t really help with identifying who this person could be, though, and he wasn’t acquainted with anyone by the name of Yook Sungjae.

_Sent At: 10:21 AM_

_Are u dtf?_

Jung-Kook wrinkles his nose in disgust. What the hell?

_Sent At:  10:32 AM_

_Y u no reply me_

_Sent At:  10:45 AM_

_YAH! HEYYYYYYY!_

Jung-Kook had a nagging suspicion that this Sungjae was possibly drunk out of his mind. But at 10 in the morning? What the fuck?

_Sent At:  11:02 AM_

_U promiseddd 2 go on a date wit me today._

That had him intrigued. Was Soo-Young, perhaps, in a secretive relationship with this person? Then again, the ‘ _dtf_ ’ didn’t exactly impress him. So, maybe they were friends with benefits?

_Sent At:  11:23 AM_

_Soo-Youngieeeeeee. I luv uuuuuuuuu._

_Sent At:  11:27 AM_

_So luv ain’t working on ya? Even when I drop the L bomb, you won’t fck me?_

Entitlement at its finest. Jung-Kook loathed people like this, considering that after scrolling up and noting Soo-Young’s one-worded (Or, two-worded at best) replies. This guy should’ve gotten the hint already. But then again, he thinks as he scrolls back down, maybe it would be best if he didn’t intrude in the personal affairs of his friends’.  

_Sent At:  11:44 AM_

_Soo-Youngieeeeee~ Where r u?_

Anywhere where Sungjae wasn’t.

_Sent At:  11:52 AM_

_Alright, bitch. I’ve had enuf of your entitled, snobby attitude. Either u come over right now, or else I’m going to get my bois to come find u and u be sry_

Hold up. Something certainly seems fishy here. This Sungjae didn’t just seem desperate and clingy. That was behaviour that he was certain Soo-Young could handle on her own, since she dealt with fan-boys on a regular basis. Threats weren’t something that Jung-Kook was going to put up with, especially if they seemed to endanger the life of another persons’.

_Sent At:  11:56 AM_

_Imma give u 4 more min_

_Sent At:  12:01 PM_

_K, ure in 4 it_

Shit. Holy fucking shit.

Quickly, his shaky fingers attempt to dial Soo-Young’s home phone number. However, it rang only for a few moments before her voice mail cheerily greets him. “Leave a message after the beep!”

“ _Yah_ , Soo-Young _noona_ , you alright?” Knowing that he would have no other way to contact her, he only shook his head and left the stall. If, per chance, he did come across this Yook Sungjae later on in the day, then…

He shudders, completely terrified out of his wits. All he can do is pray that he doesn’t bump into the threatening stranger.

Then again, Seoul was so huge. What were the chances?

* * *

 

“Are you alright?” Ye-Rim questions for the seventeenth (Yes, Jung-Kook was, in fact, counting) time that day. They’re at their last stop of the day, sitting side by side on a bench outside of the train station, feasting on fish-shaped buns and drinking banana milk.

“Huh?” Jung-Kook snaps back to attention, and nods to ease Ye-Rim’s worries. Fortunately for him, he didn’t bump into anyone that pointed him out boisterously, or chased him down. Seoul was pretty large for a city after all. And now that their hang-out was coming close to an end, he decides that maybe it was best to let Soo-Young handle the situation as how she saw fit.

But, looking on the negatives, if this Yook Sungjae _did_ harm Soo-Young later on (Or perhaps, do something worse), then would he would be considered a by-stander? Or, even worse, an accomplice that had no direct role?  

Shaking the thought out of his head, he suggests, “Let’s talk about something else!” Taking a bite of his bun, he asks, “How are you keeping up with your schoolwork?”

 Ye-Rim frowns, losing appetite altogether. “Ah. Let’s not talk about that. I don’t want to ruin your appetite by complaining and whining.”

Jung-Kook nudges her encouragingly. “You can tell me, Ye-Rimmie. Is there anything that I can help you with? Let’s say, maybe…” He pauses.  “Organic chemistry? Or, molecular biology?” His heart was more than willing to give the younger girl help. But, his logical brain snapped at him for offering assistance when he knew nothing other than covalent bonds and that cells were the building blocks of life. AKA, high school chemistry and elementary school biology.

“Don’t worry about it! I’m going to go see my TA next week, and hopefully, she can give me better study tips.” Quickly recovering from her small bout of depression, she glances at the filling of her bun before groaning, “Oh, no. I think I bought custard, not red bean.”

“Here. Do you want mine? I might not be able to help much, but maybe this will!” He passes his half-eaten bun to her, and she – whilst reluctant at first – takes a bite from where he had left off. Cheerily, she thanks him. Then, laughing to herself, she adds, “Don’t tell my future boyfriend that you took my first kiss, okay?”

Oh.

Oh, my God.

_They just shared an indirect kiss._

**_They just shared. An indirect kiss._ **

Jung-Kook wants to scream. Yell his heart out. Do a joyful jig in the air in Soo-Young’s heeled boots.  

**_WHAT A MILESTONE TODAY WAS._ **

“Hey, hey, hey! Lookie what we got here! Soo-Youngie- _ah_ , we’ve been looking all over Seoul for ya!”

Until now. His temple was starting to twinge in irritation.

But, ah, fuck it. Rolling up his sleeves, Jung-Kook knows that his luck has to run out eventually.

* * *

 

Contrary to what he believed, Yook Sungjae wasn’t a…drunk at all. In fact, if Jung-Kook hadn’t read his steady stream of ridiculous messages in the first place, his first impression of the older man was actually quite good. He wore a tailored suit, showing off his muscular, toned frame and carried his boyish, handsome looks charismatically. His accessories, glinting brightly in the setting sun, reflected his wealthy societal status – and the fact that he had stepped out of a Lambourghini was enough to overwhelm Jung-Kook.

But, finally, it hits him. This Yook Sungjae was the infamous _chaebol_ son from his school. A business major whom had presumably failed a majority of his classes, but bought his way to A’s through his fathers’ money.

Girls nearby him devoured his outer appearance eagerly with their eyes. His group of friends – all of a similar caliber – didn’t dare bat an eyelash at any of them. Rather, their gazes kept roaming hungrily between him and – much to Jung-Kooks’ dismay – Ye-Rim. “Who are these people?” She asks.

Sungjae’s friend, a tall man wearing sunglasses, whistles at Ye-Rim. “Hey there, cutie.” Stalking over towards her, he winks at her. Jung-Kook feels her staring back, seemingly unfazed – or perhaps she was, but just didn’t want to show her vulnerability. “Don’t you worry, you pretty thing.” _Thing?_ _Who in the fuck does this guy think he is, referring to women as objects?_ “Min-Hyukkie _oppa_ isn’t going to bite.”   

 _Yeah, but I will._ “Hey. Back off, you piece of shit.” Jung-Kook snarls viciously, standing up. He places a forceful hand on the one named Min-Hyuk, shoving him roughly as he guards the younger girl defensively. He feels Ye-Rim tugging on his arm as if trying to tell him to not cause a ruckus. “She’s not interested.”

Min-Hyuk scoffs. “Yo, Sungjae! Yo girl is feisty as fuck.”

Stepping forward, Sungjae beckons Min-Hyuk back towards the group. “Soo-Young- _ah_ ,” Sungjae begins, almost a tad bit too pleasantly. Smiling smugly, he attempts to snake an arm around Jung-Kooks’ waist, but to no avail.

“Touch me once, and I’m going to scream in the middle of this busy park. That’s your final warning,” Jung-Kook cautions, cracking his knuckles.

“You think I’m scared? Baby, please,” Sungjae chuckles. “You’ve been toying with my affections for far too long now. What more do you want? A diamond ring? A designer purse?” Lowering his voice, he whispers, “Or perhaps, you want me to take you right here – ?”

Sungjae isn’t even able to finish his sentence. Because Jung-Kook automatically delivers a powerfully angry punch right in the older man’s face, and then a knee strike straight into his groin, causing Sungjae to wince in indescribable pain. “Oh, shit!”  

Staggering backwards, Sungjae glares at Jung-Kook through a bloody nose, staining his dress shirt. “What the fuck – “

“What the fuck, indeed,” Jung-Kook agrees, walking towards Sungjae. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, he hoists Sungjae a few inches off the ground, shocking his posse and Ye-Rim, who was watching the scene unfolding before her with terrified eyes and a hand cupping her mouth in shock. “I think it’s time that you take a lesson from me. Barely replying to your messages, showing disinterest and blowing you off are tell-tale signs that I’m **_not_** interested. Yet, here you are, prancing around and flaunting your money, thinking that wealth is enticing enough to get yourself a girlfriend.”

“No means no, bitch,” Jung-Kook continues angrily. “Show some self-respect for yourself, and have some dignity, won’t you?” Tossing him onto the ground, Jung-Kook then turns his head towards Min-Hyuk and the others. “And if you all need a good workout, I’d gladly entertain by beating you all up.”

“S-Sungjae!” Min-Hyuk cries out, hurrying towards him. Glaring at Jung-Kook, he stammers, “Y-you’re going to pay for this!”    

“You want a kick, too?”

They leave a few seconds later after that, with Min-Hyuk and a shorter, blonde-haired man heaving Sungjae into the backseat of the car as they speed away.  “Wow, I guess they’re all just a bunch of wusses, anyway.” Much to Jung-Kooks’ chagrin, the spectators that surrounded him as the events had escalated were all now cheering for him – not that he really wanted the acknowledgement from possibly ruining another fellow males’ ability to reproduce.

But, honestly speaking, Yook Sungjae deserves it.

Suddenly, he feels a pair of slender arms wrap around his neck, pulling his head downwards and right onto Ye-Rim’s shoulder. Shakily, he returns it. “You scared me, _unni_!” She squeaks breathlessly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“You’re n-not…hurt, are you?” He feels her shake her head against his shoulder.

“N-no. Are you?”

“Of course not.” His hand reaches upwards to stroke the younger girls’ head comfortingly. “It’s all okay now, Ye-Rimmie.”

“I…I think I need to be more like you,” Ye-Rim confesses as they slowly walk towards the station together, her arm linking with his protectively. “I always feel obligated to give out my number to my classmates because they always say they just want to work on assignments together, but it’s very unnerving sometimes.”

“No means no, especially when you’re feeling uneasy, so don’t feel bad when you have to decline.” Jung-Kook advises. “Make sure you learn how to defend yourself too, okay?” Patting the top of her head gently, he adds adoringly, “ _Oppa_ believes in you!”

“Uh…Soo-Youngie _oppa_?”

“W-well,” Flabbergasted, Jung-Kook rubs his neck in embarrassment. “ _Hic-hic_ , I was as cool as your typical Korean drama _oppa_ , right?”   

* * *

 

He’s sitting in Soo-Young’s apartment later that night, nursing his feet in a tub of hot water as he narrates the rather eventful day to her.

As it turns out, she had taken an impromptu, last-minute hiking trip for the day with her other friends, meaning that (Thankfully), she wouldn’t have bumped into Sungjae at all. As for his phone, he had left it at her place, but kept the damn thing on silent and buried under a pile of clothes sitting on her bed.

Curses. But, there were a few good things that came out of this.

The first, being that Ye-Rim had texted Soo-Young after Jung-Kook dropped her off at her house, complimenting how cool she was.

“Ye-Rim probably thinks you’re the baddest female out there, yo,” Jung-Kook jokes, amused.

“I’m flattered.”

The second, where Soo-Young confesses she was extremely thankful for a friend like Jung-Kook.

“You pummeled Yook Sungjae in the face!” She guffaws. “Why would I be upset? Bro, I’ve been trying to shake him off for the longest time. And you did it in one go.”

“Aren’t you afraid of what he’ll do to you?” He questions curiously. “He is a _chaebol_ , after all.”

She waves off his concerns. “Nah, don’t worry. I’ve got a few people I can call for help. Either way,” Eyes glinting, she pats his arm kindly. “Thanks, Kook. You did well.”

And third, well, he doesn’t know where to begin.

“Oh, by the way,” He begins as Soo-Young sees him to the door. Smirking at her curious expression, he says, almost in a flaunting manner, “I absolutely _love_ how a women’s bathroom smells. What do you guys use in the toilets?”

And she slams the door in his face. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE.”

_Heh._


	5. Im Na-Yeon (Sort of.)

Jeon Jung-Kook was that type of friend to send you memes, or alert his friend group of recent hip-hop releases from Western artists. Never much for important matters; as a matter of fact, he rarely responded whenever they planned hang-outs together.

So you know that when he’s the first one to text several messages in a row, some type of shit was going down. And at a rather poor timing, too, because Kim Nam-Joon was finishing up lunch with Yoongi at the campus café when his phone buzzed continuously (Much to Yoongis’ annoyance).

So, sandwich in hand with the mayonnaise dripping messily from the wrapper, he broke into a quick sprint for his office, situated uncomfortably in the corner of the third floor in the Biology building. Panting, Nam-Joon soon noticed the younger man, thumbing around on his phone. Nam-Joon barked in irritation (Once he noticed that his ham and tomato slice had somehow fallen out of the two slices of bread), “ _Yah_ , _Jeon Jung-Kook_! What is it?”

Jung-Kook, rubbing his temples in frustration, only looked up from a piece of paper scrawled in red ink, and then held it up for Nam-Joon. “This, to be precise is what’s wrong.” Pocketing his phone, he then grabbed Nam-Joon roughly by the collar and shoved him back and forth. “How could you!?”

“How could I **_WHAT_**?”

Jung-Kook tossed the piece of paper at Nam-Joon. “Read this and weep.”

This, as the older man would eventually note, was Kim Ye-Rim’s midterm examination in the course that Nam-Joon was acting as teaching assistant for. He wasn’t surprised to see this; he had marked it and was already well-aware that Ye-Rim had failed with a forty percent.

“This makes no sense,” Jung-Kook said, almost angrily.  

“I mean,” Nam-Joon attempted to calm the younger man. “She was probably having an off day? Who knows, Kook? And anyway, why are you getting so upset over this? It’s not like you’re the one failing your courses.” But by the way that Nam-Joon was averting his gaze awkwardly with Jung-Kooks’ intense stare, he thought that maybe this was only a flimsy excuse to reassure his nervously erratic heart. Thinking back to the past few lessons, he does have to admit that she did seem quite dazed and a tad bit out of it. The worst of the worse was probably when she had shockingly stood up during the middle of the lecture to leave for home.

Perhaps Jung-Kooks’ overdramatic antics – albeit somewhat terrifying for a twenty-something-year-old – were _right_.

“Ye-Rim’s the most studious person that I know,” Jung-Kook countered, his hand resting on his chin in contemplation. “I don’t think this is your typical case of student laziness in the middle of the semester. Something is going on, Nam-Joon- _hyung_.”

“Well, what would you like me to do about it?”

“You’re the TA!” Jung-Kook pointed out. “You should be the one helping her!”

“Actually,” Nam-Joon drawled out. “I have an even better idea.”

* * *

 

“Jung-Kook,” Nam-Joon scolds viciously, snatching the piece of chalk from the younger mans’ grasp. “Stop trying to scare the bejeesus out of my students, will you? I don’t need an invisible ghost drawing penises on my chalkboard.”

Jung-Kook only sighs in response before seating himself at Nam-Joon’s seat at the front of the classroom as he looks down at the older mans’ detailed notes. “Am I going to have to sit through your bullshit?” He questions aloud, only to earn a well-deserved smack around the head.

“Hey! Mitochondria are not things you can joke around with.”

“Just because you’re doing your thesis in it.”

“Shut up,” Nam-Joon nudges the invisible man painfully in the shoulder and greets his students one by one as they flow in quietly, faces somber once they entered.

In order for Nam-Joon and Jung-Kook to get to the bottom of their investigation, Jung-Kook had requested (More so in a pushy manner) that Nam-Joon let him join in on one of his tutorials. Whilst this did mean that Jung-Kook would have to sit through an hour of mindless droning about components of the cellular body, the plus side was that he would able to see Ye-Rim.

From what Dino told Nam-Joon the other day, Ye-Rim had been seeing one of the academic advisors for help. When asked for the name, Dino had politely (Or, perhaps it was more so to protect Ye-Rim’s privacy) informed him that he had no idea who it was. Jung-Kook’s task, then, was to follow Ye-Rim after tutorial and see if there was anything that Nam-Joon could arrange so Ye-Rim could improve her grades.

Jung-Kook watches as the first-years trudge in with heavy backpacks and long faces, but none as noticeable as Kim Ye-Rim, whom had stepped in with her eyes on the floor, her hood covering her head as if she wished to disappear and hide in the corner. Even looking at her was pitiful, and Jung-Kook wished for nothing else other than a way to comfort her.

She makes herself comfortable next to Dino, who had his notebook and pencil case out, sitting with rapt attention. “Aren’t you going to get your stuff out?” He asks as the other students continued their quiet small talk for another few minutes.

“Ah, right.” Was it just Jung-Kook? Or, did she seem particularly lethargic today?

Nam-Joon then claps his hands for attention. “Alright, everyone! Did you all do your readings for this week?”

Jung-Kook glances at the highlighted paper before him. Noting that it was a research study that he had participated in as an undergraduate research assistant, he let out a loud, guffawing snort amongst the silence. Everyone stares around, including Ye-Rim who glanced at Nam-Joon with a look of utmost confusion.

“A-ah, I uh – I’ve been having slight indigestion today. Which, by the way, is what we’re talking about! Everyone, grab your textbooks and practice sets and let’s go to – “

From the corner of his eye, Jung-Kook could swear that Nam-Joon had sent him an overpowering death glare. But then again, what the hell was he supposed to do when the study investigated _farts_?

Weird. But hey, at least it had landed Nam-Joon in grad school.

* * *

 

He almost dozed off.

Keyword being _almost_ , and _almost_ tipping his chair so that it _almost_ fell backward, thus _almost_ killing the penetrable silence like a knife.

(He didn’t, by the way.)

So instead, he decides to sneakily get up from his seat and inch around the room to learn his fellow juniors better. The class was quite large for a first-year class tutorial, with twenty students in total with an equal portion of boys and girls.

A short-haired girl by the name of Jung-Yeon enjoyed scribbling elaborate, intricate doodles of nature-associated objects (Flowers, grass and the like) in her notebooks, barely paying attention to Nam-Joons’ droning about organelles. Next to her sat a quiet, glasses-wearing boy called Vernon, who practiced the art of sleeping in class fairly well by keeping his chin down and textbook upward.

The others didn’t pique Jung-Kook’s interest as much, since they, too, didn’t participate other than sleep. Near the back of the classroom was a trio, comprised of one girl and two boys. They didn’t seem into the course content at all, since the two young men sitting on either side of the bored-looking young woman were fighting for her attention – one, whom was throwing eraser bits at the side of her head (Not very successfully, to be honest) and the second, whom was caressing the girls’ hair gently.

It was clear whom was winning at this point:  The girl was slowly, but surely, dropping her head onto the latter’s shoulder as she played games on her phone, whom also had a shit-eating grin on his handsome face as if telling the other off with a proud _‘I told you so’_. Jung-Kook wrinkles his nose at how much fury was on the other boys’ face – wasn’t he aware that teasing and throwing stuff only worked in elementary school?

Finally, he approaches Ye-Rim and Dino. And my God, was it a blatant contrast. Dino, back straight with his eyes focused on the blackboard scrawled with ugly pictures, wrote in fancy-schmancy cursive writing.

Cursive.

Writing.

Who did that? Who the hell did **_that_**?

Everything on his side of the table was aligned neatly. But, his pencil case – dear Lord – was basically a stuffed bear. Jesus Christ, this youngster was much too innocent for his own good.

Ye-Rim, on the other hand, had somewhat bubbly and cute handwriting. Almost like child’s printing. Despite that, she kept her eyes leveled and concentrated on the notes before her.  As she flipped from one page from the next, Jung-Kook notes with curiosity that she also had a tendency to draw elaborate figures of cells and label them accordingly by color. Maybe it was a way of helping her study? One thing was for sure, though: It took up an inordinately huge amount of space in her notebooks. Not that he would dislike her for something so small like that. Because on the plus side, she drew extremely well.

“Now,” Nam-Joon booms authoritatively, shocking Jung-Kook out of his daze. “Does anybody have any questions?”

At that, Dino nudges Ye-Rim in the ribs a bit roughly. Wincing, she sends him a wrathful glare, to which he then nods towards Nam-Joon. Her expression seems to fall a bit, and instead, she just turns back to her notebook.

Now _that_ seems somewhat odd.

Sensing Ye-Rim’s uncertainty, Nam-Joon delivers a kind, reassuring smile to her. “Ye-Rim- _ah_? Did you have something to add?”

And all at once, the three students at the back of the classroom start to snigger rudely. Jung-Kook snaps his head towards them with a malicious glint in his eyes. “Don’t ask her, Nam-Joon- _sunbaenim_!” The girl squeaks mockingly. “She’s going to make us late for our next class again!”

“Yah, shut up, Park Chae-Young,” Dino growls, setting his pencil down. Ye-Rim, on the other hand, refused to retaliate. Or perhaps, she didn’t want to make a huge ruckus over nothing? Her face grows bright red, and she pulls her hood over her head in discomfort. “Or, do you want to take this outside the classroom?”

“It’s true, though!” The boy on her right pipes up, not knowing that Jung-Kook was standing right behind him. “If she has questions, there are office hours for a reason – **_OW_**!” His hat tips off of his head, revealing a rather prevalent bald spot right in the middle. Glaring at Chae-Young, he adds, “Did you just hit me?”

“Why would I, Han-Binnie?” Chae-Young snorts. Eyeing Ye-Rim wrathfully, she continues, “She’s like Hermione Granger. An absolutely annoying in-your-face know-it-all.”

In a fury, Jung-Kook thwacks her open water bottle off the table, spilling water all over the floor. He was sure that Nam-Joon was glowering at him with flying daggers, and hushed voices were now whispering ecstatically about a possible poltergeist that lived on campus grounds.

“Ah, Chae-young- _ah_! I’ll get you some – **_WHOA_**!”  

With Jung-Kooks’ leg outstretched, the young man on the left trips over what he proclaims to be an invisible log. Still, Jung-Kook evades their suspicions easily by slipping quickly to the front of the classroom right next to Nam-Joon.

“ _Yah_ ,” Vernon finally mumbles sleepily, stretching in his seat. “That’s enough of that.” Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he questions bluntly, “Why do you all gang up on Ye-Rimmie like that, anyway? She’s not doing you any harm.”

“Ye-Rim- _sshi_ is an exemplary good student is what she is,” Jung-Yeon chimes in defensively.  Catching the younger girls’ eye, Jung-Yeon nods encouragingly towards her. “Stop hating just because y’all are too stupid.”

“Who the hell are you calling – ?”

“Okay, everyone. Enough,” Nam-Joon declares sternly, putting a stop to their gibbering. “As your TA, I will not be tolerant of any blatant bullying towards any of your colleagues. If you have complaints, bring them to me. This environment is established as a safe place for students to learn. If you can’t learn to respect each other’s rights for education or expressing their curiosity, then please.” He gestures to the door. “Feel free to drop out of class and leave.”

Not a single drop of sound was heard.

“Alright, as I was saying,” Sucking in a deep breath, he turns to Ye-Rim once again. “Ye-Rimmie? Please feel free to provide your input!”

_Come on, Ye-Rimmie! You can do it!_

At long last, she whispers, “I uh – I’ll wait until after class.”

 _Fuck._ Jung-Kook feels his heart breaking.

* * *

 

As a matter of fact, Ye-Rim didn’t have any questions at all. Right when the bell rang for dismissal, she shoves her belongings into her backpack and – after muttering a few words to Nam-Joon – bolts out of the classroom, leaving Dino behind. Fortunately, he gives chase for her a few seconds after she left – but not without having to listen to the three students talking crudely about Ye-Rim behind her back.

“Tsk, tsk. Look at her.”

Nam-Joon sends them another snarl. “Do that again one more time, and I’ll be reporting this to the professor. Do you want me to do that?”

Wordlessly, they exit quickly and Nam-Joon closes the door shut behind him, only to be met with a rather infuriated Jung-Kook. “Were you even _aware_ that she was being bullied?”

“Kook, now listen – “

“No!” Jung-Kook snaps, shoving him back against the dusty chalkboard. “You didn’t do jack shit to help her at all! What kind of a TA _are_ you?”

“I – “

“Here she was, being mocked while you turned a blind eye,” He rages, shaking his head in disappointment. “I cannot believe you.”

“If I knew what was happening, do you really think I would do that?!” Nam-Joon retaliates angrily, pushing Jung-Kook with the same amount of forcefulness into the table. “They only showed their true colours today, Kook- _ah_. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes when I’m not teaching, or what happens when I’m not with them. You have to know that I’m _not_ their babysitter – I’m their TA; following them around is not one of my responsibilities.”

He rubs Jung-Kooks’ shoulder comfortingly. “I feel terrible for not noticing that Ye-Rim is being subjected to such immature behaviour as well, and I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. But,” He glances at the clock. “You might want to shake a leg. She’s going to see the student counsellor – “

Jung-Kook rushes out immediately.

* * *

 

 _It’s an invasion of confidentiality._ One side said.

 _But, it’s Ye-Rim._ Said the other.

_Doesn’t matter. How would you like it if someone spied on you secretly without your consent?_

_Hence, the spying aspect._

_Dude._

_Duuuuuude._

As the mental battle in Jung-Kook’s brain unfolded, the receptionist at the student services center asks rather timidly, “Ah, uh, can I help you with anything?”

“I uh – I, do you happen to know where I can get a…Band-Aid?”

Five minutes later, he left the office with a dinosaur sticker wrapped around his non-bleeding finger ( _“Internal bleeding, ya know!”_ ). But, how was he going to get in?

At that exact moment, a young-looking woman with a kind, friendly face (Almost reminiscent of a chipmunk) saunters out in high heels. But, as Jung-Kook observed her talking to the receptionist quietly, there was no fucking way that this was the counsellor. She seems way too young!

“Kim Ye-Rim?” The receptionist repeats, typing the name into the computer quickly.

Jackpot.

Ducking behind a huge potted plant, he blankets himself with invisibility. Quietly, he waits for the woman to finish retrieving the appropriate paperwork, and then proceeds to follow her into her office, squeezing through the gap just as she closes the door shut. Lo and behold, Ye-Rim was sitting there on a chair, hugging her backpack to her chest protectively.

“Ye-Rimmie, I’m so sorry!” The older woman apologizes cheekily. “The student counsellor has business elsewhere today, so I’ll be filling in as program assistant. I hope it doesn’t change anything much and that I can help you today! So!” Gosh, whoever this person was –

“Oh, and my name is Na-Yeon,” She introduces with a happy smile. “You can call me Na-Yeonnie if it makes you a bit more comfortable! I’m only a few years older than you, so please feel free to also refer to me as _unni_ if you wish.”

Na-Yeon seems like an overly energetic, happy-go-lucky person. Too much for Jung-Kook in one sitting. But, maybe she would be able to help Ye-Rim, somehow. In some way.

“So!” She continues, skimming through what appears to be Ye-Rim’s high school transcript. “You were quite the hard worker in high school, weren’t you? All A’s, and…my goodness, you also did undergraduate research with one of the professors here! Aren’t you the smart cookie?”

“That was high school,” Ye-Rim replies bluntly, averting her eyes. “I don’t do that now.” Jung-Kook glances at her sadly. How much pain was she going through – he would never have any idea.

“Well,” Na-Yeon begins slowly. “How are you doing now?”

“Um…”

“Pardon?”

 Ye-Rim’s head lowers into her hands, and she lets out a saddening sob. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

* * *

 

It does take a while to calm her down, and during that moment, Jung-Kook felt absolutely _fucking_ useless. Here Ye-Rim was, crying her eyes out about how she won’t get into medical school with how dismally she was doing in her courses _whilst_ having to suffer through torturous bullying due to her inquisitive behaviour that _should’ve_ been left behind in high school.

All while she was working a part-time job to fund her education because the scholarship she had fought so hard for was given to another student whose parents had made a rather ‘generous donation’ to fund the cancer research lab.

And, what was he doing? All he was concerned about was Ye-Rim’s presumed negative impression on him for mistakenly groping her during their first meeting.

Shit.

There she was all those times that he had spent with her – laughing cheerfully and boisterously at the stupidest of things, talking about her aspirations of wanting to become a doctor and a renowned researcher for Parkinson’s disease. And he wasn’t even aware.

Dino and Soo-Young weren’t aware.

Or, maybe put it this way: Ye-Rim had mastered the skill of doing an about face in front of her friends. But, even behind that mask that she so carefully produced, it had to crumble eventually. The stress had ultimately taken its toll. And Jung-Kook soon realizes: Even the happiest of people could be hurting the most.

And Kim Ye-Rim was one of them.

After a cup of tea and Na-Yeon continuously soothing the younger girl by patting her back, Ye-Rim hiccoughs a few times before blowing her nose into a tissue. “I uh – “ She sniffles. “I really don’t know how to get back on track. Finals are only a month and a half away; I’ve asked for two extensions on papers in two different classes already and…” Her voice trails off, and she rubs her bloodshot eyes together.

Jung-Kook (Whom was already late for his third class) wants to console her. Hug her, tell her she’s doing the best that she can already, provide her with words of encouragement, help her study, buy her food, torment her bullies – wait, maybe that’s not the best case scenario since fighting fire with oil never really improved the situation.

Was there literally nothing that he could do at all? _Shit,_ he thinks to himself in frustration, _I’m so fucking pathetic._

Na-Yeon squeezes Ye-Rim’s shoulders. “First, I need to contact your professor and your TA about the bullying situation. I know that you don’t want to get higher authority involved,” She adds hastily after noting Ye-Rim’s horrified expression. “But, something like this borderlines on harassment. Especially in a place of higher education, where this shouldn’t be tolerated at all.”

“Second,” Na-Yeon continues, returning to her seat. “I think you need to take a breather and find a way to relieve your stress.”

“I absolutely can’t do that!” Ye-Rim shrieks. “My deadlines, my tests.”

“No, no, I didn’t mean for you to drop your classes mid-semester,” The older woman waves off her concerns. Instead, she picks up a leaflet from her desk and hands it to Ye-Rim. “This type of event is coming up next Monday, held in the main atrium. It’s always been highly popular among students, and,” She giggles. “I have no doubt that you’ll have some fun and release some of that tension.”

Jung-Kook inches his head closer to the front page of the leaflet. As if a lightbulb had turned on in his head, he carelessly – and rather excitedly – pushes the office door open (Completely forgetting the fact that he was not visible to the typical human eye), frightening both Na-Yeon and Ye-Rim with the appearance of a ‘ghostly apparition’.

He finally, _finally_ found a way.

“Tae-Hyung- _ah_!”

“Oh, Kookie- _yah_! What’s up?”

“I need your help!”

Now, all he had to do was wait until the weekend was over.  

 

    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this chapter was pretty brutal to write. Not because I lacked the inspiration, but because it hit home pretty hard. I'm sure many of us have felt inadequate at times (Be it in school, work, relationships etc.), compare ourselves with others and might question, "Why are they so far ahead?", "Why do I lack so much?" It's okay to feel disappointed whenever we've failed, but I think it's equally as important to remember that regardless of the outcome, you all tried your very best - and that's really what counts in the end :3 Just a little motivational note for y'all: Whatever you guys intend to do, you all will be amazing and do awesome stuff in this world, I can assure it!   
> Side note: Fifth Time's the Charm is coming to an end so soon TT_TT But thank-you so much for the encouraging comments and the kudos :3 Y'all make me super happy.


	6. Puppy Therapy

Growing up, Jung-Kook had always coveted pets. So did his older brother. The two of them consistently badgered their parents (Particularly their father, whom often had a rather difficult time saying no to his two sons) to adopt a puppy, get a kitten, stuff a talkative parrot into a cage and bring it home. Whatever. Or, at the very least when their mother said no as her husband fumbled around with his fingers anxiously, ask them to bring them over to the pet store.

The only few pets Jung-Kook did have when he was a child was fish with a horribly short lifespan, sending him into an endless crying fit for days on end. The first was Squirtle, the second was Mario and the last was Lugia – all completely random names that were based on Nintendo characters. However, it was already enough for his parents to know how emotionally attached their youngest son becomes towards things. How in the world was he going to react when something like a pet dog passed away?

Regardless, once Jung-Kook finished high school and his brother moved out to his own flat in Seoul, he vowed that whenever he got his own place, he would adopt an animal from the shelter.

He didn’t exactly fulfill his wish yet since his tiny apartment (And the mean landlady) wasn’t particularly fond of household creatures. But that didn’t stop him from daydreaming about his fantasies of one day running through the park with his dog attached at the hip. In particular, he had a very strong liking for the S _hiba Inu_. He wanted a strong, sturdy and chipper puppy with black fur and white spots matted here and there across its body.

Yoongi walks around the four-legged animal in observation. “Oh, my God. You – “ He wants to point something out. Always the negative Nancy. But even this time around, Yoongi has to concede defeat. Instead, he drops down to his knees and rubs the animal gently on the head. “You are one crazy fucker. You’d really do anything at this point, huh?”

An energetic puppy that knew the basic tricks, like catching Frisbees, twirling around on its hind legs. And possibly even more.

“Fetch!” Seokjin tosses a ball into a clearing and is returned with it several seconds later. Patting the puppy on the head for catching the object two feet airborne, he wags his short tail in satisfaction. “Good boy!”

One that people would love to snuggle and cuddle with. Especially with Kim Ye-Rim. But excluding Park Jimin. Because he’s a fucking weirdo.

“You’re the cutest! If you stayed like this for the rest of your life, I really wouldn’t mind,” The older man croons affectionately, wrapping his arms around him. He, however, slips his way out of Jimin’s grasp and sticks his tongue out almost mockingly at him, as if to say, _‘Boo-hoo, bitch’_.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Tae-Hyung mumbles, waving the others away. Picking up Jung-Kook, he fastens a leash on his navy blue collar and pats his head once more. “Jung-Kook- _ah_ , be a good boy today and don’t shit at school, alright?”

“ _Woof!_ ”

“Good! Now, let’s get going!”

The only downside? Jung-Kook couldn’t speak. In dog language, though, he was certain that his rather feisty bark would’ve translated into something along the lines of: _“What the fuck; what do you take me for?”_

* * *

 

With his newfound form as a puppy, Jung-Kook soon realizes how many restrictions he was actually subjected to physically.

Firstly, Tae-Hyung should’ve already been aware that first and foremost, he was _human_. Which meant he had _human-like senses._ Which also translates to:  “I will not be those dogs who take sniff lamp posts, chase kittens, shit everywhere and steal food.”

Unfortunately, Tae-Hyung (Mother-freaking-son-of-a-gun) didn’t believe him and kept tugging on his leash rather painfully to start moving whenever his nose sniffed out something rather delicious in the air – AKA hamburgers from the campus canteen.  “No, Kookie! Why are you so hungry today?!”

Jung-Kook only growls fiercely at him, letting out a single angry bark.

“Alright, alright! Here!” With that, an exasperated Tae-Hyung tosses him a dog treat that he rummaged out from the pocket of his jeans. Jung-Kook takes one bite and was able to declare that – as much as he hated to admit – mushed up chicken mixed with peas definitely tasted much more delicious on a puppy’s tongue rather a human’s.

Second, he wasn’t aware that he would be _this_ popular. Sure, puppies were naturally adored the most for their cuddly nature and lovable innocent faces. So, as Tae-Hyung had warned cautiously before his transformation, Jung-Kook would most definitely be the preferable companion in comparison to the older, more ‘mature’ adults. Not that he really minds, to be honest.

They arrived at the atrium shortly after twelve o’clock, and Jung-Kook was already able to see the huge line-up of female students that were waiting for their five-minute turn with two other dogs, including a handsome-looking golden retriever and a fluffy, tiny poodle. Perhaps it was because Jung-Kook smelled so different in comparison to what a dog’s scent should be like (Since he bathed himself in rose and lavender body soap the night before), the two dogs immediately bounded over towards him and inhaled his backside.

For a good, uncomfortable five minutes, mind you.

And if the aftermath of getting barked and nipped “playfully” (At least, that’s what his owner said, but Jung-Kook found him rather vicious) at by the golden retriever wasn’t enough, the poodle especially seems to have developed a rather nasty dislike for Jung-Kook due to all the attention he was getting. Were dogs even capable of understanding _what_ the stink-eye was? Because Jung-Kook certainly feels it.

But, it was okay. At least for a while, because of the steady stream of female students whom all came by to pet him on the head and cuddle him in their arms. With his head pressed against their chests as if he were a baby.

He doesn’t mean to be a pervert, really. But, my _fucking_ God. No wonder Nam-Joon always seemed to appreciate the chest area more in comparison to nether regions; it was simply so soft, squishy and cozy.

“Oh, my! He’s so cute, Tae-Hyungie _oppa_!” One of the first-years squealed, her tone rather high-pitched. However, she didn’t even _touch_ Jung-Kook, much less play with him. Rather, she kept her arms on the older man, caressing here and there. As Jung-Kook busied himself by lapping up water from a nearby bowl, he questions if she had only come here to flirt with Tae-Hyung or if she really was suffering from some severe bout of school stress. Either way, he didn’t mind it too much –

“Tae-Hyung- _ah_! We’re back!”

And third, why in the _fuck_ did all of his friends (Even Mr. Worldwide Handsome, and annoying, pestering Park Jimin) have to come to play with him?! Didn’t they have enough of their fun earlier today? And _why_ was Nam-Joon there? Didn’t he have tutorials right now?!

“Hey, there, Kookie!” Nam-Joon greets, kneeling down to scratch Jung-Kook in between the ears. He only snarls up at his elder, barking in retaliation at the physical touch (Even though deep down, it felt awfully fantastic).

“ _Get away from me, hyung! I don’t want to play with you!”_

“I just want to pick him up and take him home with me,” Seokjin comments, hoisting Jung-Kook into the air and – with ridiculously outrageous dramatics and an equally horrible-sounding singing voice – proceeds to belt out the English lyrics to The Circle of Life from The Lion King. Jung-Kook, obviously, couldn’t really fight back. So, instead, he tries to kick his way out of Seokjin’s grip – to no avail.

“ _I’m not a lion, hyung! Stop it this instant!”_

“I have to admit, having Jung-Kook in this form is certainly much better than having to listen to him rant about his problems in his love life all the god damn time,” Yoongi snorts jokingly, pressing a finger against Jung-Kook’s bulbous cheek. Jung-Kook snaps at him, nearly biting him in the process – but ultimately misses, much to his embarrassment.

_“Don’t be so mean to me! Just you wait until I turn back into a human, and you’ll be sorry!”_

“My turn, my turn!” Jimin squeaks, taking Jung-Kook from Seokjin. Jung-Kook struggles to give the elder man the sassiest eye-roll that he could muster as a puppy, but instead, it only made him look two times more endearing and five times less menacing. “Our little Kookie is the most adorable thing on this planet!”

_“How long are you guys going to touch me for? Did y’all even wash your hands?! Ugh, I need a shower – “_

“Ah, Ye-Rim- _sshi_ , their turn is almost done! You can play with this little boy over here!” Jung-Kook hears Tae-Hyung say kindly. At the mere mention of her name, Jung-Kook whirls his head around and feels his heart leaping out of his chest at the apple of his eye, standing next in line. She looks a tad bit more refreshed after the weekend, and Jung-Kook was attempting (With great difficulty) to struggle out of Jimin’s grasp to get to her.

 _“Oh my Gosh, she’s here! But, wait a second. Oh, no! She’s going to have a go with that idiot of a golden retriever!”_ Glancing apologetically at Jimin, he quickly nips at his hand, causing the older man to yelp in pain and drop Jung-Kook onto the concrete floor.

Once his paw makes contact, Jung-Kook wastes no time in making a great sprint for the younger girl, literally pushing the golden retriever out of the way with his tiny head in an overpowering head-butt before Ye-Rim could hug the larger dog. Ye-Rim looks at the panting Jung-Kook with widening eyes for a few long seconds before breaking out into a genuine smile.

“Well, hello, there! I guess you really like me, huh?” She asks, prodding Jung-Kook’s nose with the tip of her finger. He wags his tail in response, pawing at her thighs.

 _“Really like is an understatement”_ slips out of Jung-Kooks’ mouth in the form of enthusiastic and excited barks.

Behind him, Jimin only chuckles in amusement, shaking the pain from Jung-Kook’s bite away from his hand. “Even as a puppy, his personality remains the same.”

“Well, at least the dude is genuine. I was going to put him with her, anyway, but I guess Kookie beat me to it!” Tae-Hyung replies, laughing.

“And shoo us off?” Seokjin exclaims incredulously. “Absolute blasphemy!”

“You were tormenting the poor dude with terrible Disney karaoke!”

 _“Yah!”_ The other six turn their heads towards Jung-Kook’s yapping. _“Shut the fuck up!”_

Surprisingly, they all got the hint this time around.

* * *

 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Kim Ye-Rim could finally feel herself experiencing blissful happiness for what it was worth once again. She has to admit:  The past two months were certainly difficult and choppy to navigate through. By the first set of midterm examinations and papers, there were occasions when she couldn’t even find enough willpower within herself to get out of bed to do her chores and the like.

By the time the bulk of her assignments were due, studying – something that she once loved and enjoyed – became increasingly difficult. And she soon found herself slipping through the cracks, suffering poor grades and mockery in the classroom as her self-esteem took a huge plummet. 

Yet, for some strange yet unknown reason, Ye-Rim still found something within herself that allowed her to pull through up until now. As surprising as it sounded, it was actually all thanks to that mysterious five-minute blind date of hers, the genuinely awkward and cutely clumsy Jeon Jung-Kook. 

Everywhere she went (Be it on campus, or doing things outside of school), she notices bits and pieces of his presence in the people that she spent time with. Certainly uncanny, no doubt about it, but she appreciated and loved the gaucherie that made her giggle every time she reminisced about it nonetheless.  

This puppy – coincidentally christened Kookie with a K – was absolutely no exception to this.

Such as when her five-minute session was over, and as she stood up (Albeit somewhat unwillingly) to leave and attend her next class, the overenthusiastic puppy continued to paw at her pant legs, wheedling as if to stop her from leaving. It reminded her of when he looked absolutely stunned at the end of their session, and how he opened his mouth to argue with the host that _‘This wasn’t fair’_.

Or, when she _did_ stay an extra ten minutes (Granted by Tae-Hyung), the next participant in line coughed rudely to signify that Ye-Rim had stayed much too long and was pushing the limits through her connections with the organizers of the event. But rather than Tae-Hyung telling the other girl off, the _puppy_ growled menacingly at her and settled himself comfortably in Ye-Rim’s lap, only to begin hiccoughing every few seconds thereafter. Funnily enough, this, too, also made her recall Jung-Kook’s strange habit whenever he got nervous.

And the longer she spent time with him, the fonder she became of him. Which was never a good sign, she knew, considering that this was someone else’s pet.  

But Kim Tae-Hyung – her senior from the bookstore – had other plans in mind. As the event drew to a close with only her and Kookie remaining, he only smiled gently at her and the sleeping puppy before saying, “You can take him home for the day; it’s fine.”

* * *

 

Jung-Kook didn’t dare believe his ears. Or, his eyes, for that matter. But here he was, in Kim Ye-Rim’s apartment flat. He notes with curiosity that she didn’t have a lot of things in the tiny studio – just some furniture (A couch and a flat-screen television covered in dust with a coffee table to complete a den), a built-in, spotless kitchen with an Instant Pot in the corner and a few closed doors; one of which presumably lead to Ye-Rim’s bedroom.

The important thing was, though, that everything was clean and pristine. The ever studious Kim Ye-Rim was not only pretty but knew how to cook, was able to find time to clean her apartment, friends, study _and still_ went to the gym? Clearly, she was mastering the art of the adult much better than a certain someone. 

She kicks her sneakers off, and hurries into one of the rooms, which was the laundry room. And from the corner of Jung-Kooks’ eye, he notices her suddenly pulling her sweatshirt over her body. He whirls around in embarrassment because even though he had the body of a puppy, he was still a _freaking_ man trapped in that form. He hears her emerge a few moments later, and thank God, she’s in sweatpants and an old t-shirt. “Gosh, Kookie, you’re so well-behaved! You didn’t jump on any of my stuff or rummage through my dirty kitchen!”

Jung-Kook lets out a smug smirk. Well, now, he wasn’t exactly a disobedient child growing up. His mother had disciplined him well. Thus, there were absolutely no exceptions to this rule, even when he was a puppy. Snapping her fingers, she calls Jung-Kook over to the couch and pats the leather seat beside her. “C’mon, Kookie, up you get!” He watches in fascination as she pulls out the contents of her backpack onto the table: Her laptop, a charger and several printed pages of research papers.

She peels it open, and tells him, “I have to work on one of my essays today.” Lowering her voice, she adds, “You’ll support me, won’t you?”

That was a seriously dumb question. “ _Woof, woof!_ ” Because honestly, the better question is simply, _why_ wouldn’t he? Jung-Kook lies down on the cushion that she set for him, and peers over her shoulder as she opened up a previously existing Word Document. Her desktop background, much to his annoyance, was a photo of Tae-Yong during the Firetruck era. Aside from that, though, her desktop – much like her apartment and her notes – was clean. All of her files had separate folders, labeled and organized alphabetically.

Jesus Christ, how meticulous could this young lady get?

This one, which she named as _“HSCI Draft – Mental Health Services”_ , was littered with notes as well, extending up to at least ten pages. “I’m almost done, you see!” She tells him proudly. “I just need to reorganize some of my thoughts.” Pausing, she takes a glance at him before chuckling amusedly to herself. “Ah, you probably won’t understand what I say but…” Ye-Rim reaches her hand upwards to scratch him on the back. “I don’t know why, but talking to you helps me.”

“ _That’s the least I can do, Ye-Rimmie,”_ He responds, licking her hand playfully.

“Don’t worry, I’ll work hard!”  

And she definitely stayed true to her word. Forty-five minutes in, Ye-Rim was still deep in thought about her next few paragraphs. But, Jung-Kook soon realizes that she was the type of person to possibly neglect basic necessities like food and water when immersed in a task. So, he hops off the couch, walks around the table to her open book bag and lets out a tiny whine.

She looks up from her laptop at last, smiling kindly. “Yes, Kookie? Are you hungry?” He only tugs on her water bottle as a response. “Are you…thirsty?”

Letting out a hearty “ _Woof!_ ”, he rolls it towards her with his nose until it hits the base of her foot. “Ah,” She mumbles in realization. “You want me to drink water, don’t you?”

“ _Yes!_ ”

“Gosh, I can’t believe I’ve gotten to this point where a cute little puppy like you has to remind me to stay hydrated.” Still, his efforts paid off. Soon after, she went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, bringing back not only the steaming mug but also a hard-boiled egg.

“This is for you!” Ye-Rim explains, peeling the shells off before tearing it into bite-sized pieces for Jung-Kook. “Even though Tae-Hyung _oppa_ says it’s okay for you to not eat until tomorrow, I know you must be hungry too after playing with so many pretty girls for an entire day.”

“ _The only pretty one was you, but okay, I’ll go along with that story.”_ Jung-Kook doesn’t touch it, however. Instead, he pushes the small snack towards Ye-Rim.

“Me? I’m not hungry, though!”

Jung-Kook was a persistent man. And after five minutes of an intense staring contest, Ye-Rim soon gives up and takes a small nibble of the egg white. “It should be me taking good care of you, Kookie,” She scolds teasingly, leaving her seat for the second time to bring him blueberries and sliced apples. This time around, though, they did share – one slice for her, and one for him. He observes her with watchful eyes, making sure that she was still getting the nutrients she needed. “You’re not mine, after all.”

 _“I’m no one’s. But,”_ He pauses, tilting his head from side to side as he watches her munch on an apple slice. _“I wouldn’t mind being adopted if it were you taking care of me.”_

* * *

 

Ye-Rim has to admit: It _does_ seem rather peculiar that a puppy was able to sense what she needed the most without even having to say anything out loud. If anything, _this_ little guy took better care of her than her friends did.

Like when she, feeling somewhat cold due to an intruding draft from an open window, watched him incredulously pull the heavy comforter off the couch to give it to her to stay warm.

“Kookie, you must be cold, too!” She whined, rubbing her hands together. The puppy only shook his head, placing the blanket over her. She took it gratefully, but not without picking him up and placing her in her lap as well.

Or, perhaps a rather strange anecdote to tell her friends later on: She could _feel_ his eyes skimming through her essay as she typed. And maybe she could call it a coincidence, but every single time Kookie let out a tiny yip, she’d pick up on small grammatical errors or spelling mistakes that she had let run amiss. It was as if _he_ was helping her proofread.

But, that couldn’t be right. At least, not in her rational mind, it shouldn’t. Then again, she thinks to herself as she types up the closing statement, she has to give credit where it’s due. The most probable scenario was that Tae-Hyung had trained Kookie supremely well.       

(…So well to the point that Kookie had the mental capacity of a human adult.)

The clock finally strikes 9 P.M., and at long last, Ye-Rim has finished her fifteen-page essay that was due the following week. Somehow, finishing up her assignment wasn’t as burdensome as she thought it would be. Glancing down at the Shiba Inu resting in her lap, she massages his head soothingly as a thank-you for his presence. “You’ve been so good all day!” She coos. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

The puppy lets out an excited bark, waggling its tail. It was the least she could do for the little guy.

* * *

 

Although it might seem a tad bit unorthodox, Jung-Kook was willing to consider this their fifth pseudo-date. Ye-Rim has her hand wrapped around an ice-cream cone as they take a brief walk around the serene, almost deserted lake.

He can’t lie:  Transforming into an animal was quite tiring on his own body, especially for a duration this long. Rarely has he performed animal transformations – well, aside from that time that Yoongi needed him to become a rooster so that he’d wake him up on time for buying concert tickets.

But, so long as Ye-Rim was in better spirits than she was days ago, Jung-Kook was more than happy to do it. She slows down to a stop and ends up sitting on a bench overlooking the lagoon for a few moments, lost in thought.

“ _Ye-Rimmie!_ ”

She sends him an apologetic grin. “Oh, I’m sorry, Kookie! It’s just that…” Her voice trails off, and she giggles. “You’d keep secrets better than any of my friends, won’t you?”

“ _Of course!_ ”

“I was having a very difficult time with school,” She says, almost melancholy. “My classmates weren’t exactly the nicest; my exam results were getting worse. And for a while now, I was super close to thinking of dropping out because of the stress.”

Jung-Kook knows this all too well; he looks at her sorrowfully, hoping that his companionship was somewhat helpful and revitalizing to her.

“But, it’s all thanks to you! You cheered me up so much!” She exclaims cheerily, squatting so that she was at eye level with him. “And you know what?” Ye-Rim picks him up on the sides and nuzzles her nose with his.

Oh, my God. What was intimacy? What was this? **_What the fuck_** was this?

“You remind me of the boy that I like,” She murmurs quietly. “Jeon Jung-Kook. Maybe that’s why I feel so attached to you.”

… ** _W-WHAT?!_**

And with that, she doesn’t say anything else. She closes her eyes shut, and very softly and gently, presses her lips against the tip of his nose.

The physical contact of her mouth against him sends thrilling shocks up and down his spine. This was his – no, scratch that – **_their_** first kiss. The ever innocent Jung-Kook stays stunned, turning intensely red and hot as the slew of hiccoughs begin to rise from the pit of his stomach.

It might have been a horribly rough start to the day, and Ye-Rim was probably making fun of him again for the bout of involuntary spasms plaguing his lungs, but God _damn,_ did this night end off well.

* * *

 

As Ye-Rim prepared herself for bed in the washroom, Jung-Kook takes the time to observe her room. She didn’t have much decorating the shabby wallpaper, but her desk held a huge stack of textbooks and encouraging handwritten cards from her friends and family wishing her luck as she moved onto college.

Much to his chagrin, there was a printed photo of Tae-Yong’s Tweet from weeks before tacked onto the wall – but recalling her confession from earlier, now, he doesn’t seem to mind the idol as much.

How quickly could one’s mind change was beyond his understanding. But this was Kim Ye-Rim, after all – and when it came to her, anything was possible for Jung-Kook.

Ye-Rim enters the bedroom soon after, and noticing Jung-Kook’s sleepy expression, she hoists him gently onto her bed. She follows suit after switching on the lamp, diving underneath the covers. Settling her head comfortably onto her pillow, she asks softly, “Did you have fun today?”

Jung-Kook doesn’t say anything other than gnawing on her finger; she laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He buries himself underneath the comforter and snuggles closer to Ye-Rim’s chest. “Good-night, Kookie,” She whispers, caressing his head to lull him into a deep slumber. “You were the highlight of my semester.”

* * *

 

A startling bell from her phone awakens Kim Ye-Rim the next morning. Eyes bleary, she gives a loud yawn, feeling the most well-rested she had ever been since starting school. Hearing steady breathing beside her brings a sleepy, content smile to her face: Of course, how could she forget? It was all thanks to the silly little creature.

She groggily reaches her hand over to pat Kookie awake, slightly disheartened that she had to bring him back to his owner.

“Kookie, it’s time to – “ Her body freezes in shock. Because it wasn’t dog fur that she had in her grasp. Rather, it felt something like…fabric and…human skin?

She snaps her eyes wide open, and for a few long moments, stares in horror with hitched breathing at the young man that had taken Kookie’s replacement, and was now sleeping soundly next to her.

In the same bed. Sharing her mattress. Her blanket.

The one that she liked.

Jeon Jung-Kook. With his feathery eyelashes, tall nose and supple lips. Wrapped like a burrito beside her with no more than five centimetres apart. She curiously presses a finger against his cheek, immediately snapping back when she realizes that – unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately (She’s not really sure at this point) – this wasn’t a dream. The boy beside her was very much real.

“ ** _JEON JUNG-KOOK?!_** ”

Well, fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nine pages of fluff and an ultra-smart puppy taking care of an unsuspecting young woman. Oh me, oh my. Jung-Kook, why are you like this? (LOL) Last chapter coming up fairly soon - thanks for reading! c:


	7. JungRi - Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to split the finale into two parts, just because I can't let this story go. Just kidding :P Hope you all enjoy!

Jung-Kook slept very, very peacefully that night. He drifted into a rather easy sleep with her steady heartbeat against one of his folded ears, lulling him into slumber. His mind was vivid with happy, joyful dreams of him and Ye-Rim together. They weren’t doing anything that stood out to him in particular:  Mundane chores, such as grocery shopping with him juggling peppers and bananas much to her amusement, him vacuuming while she wiped down the tabletop of their shared apartment, cuddling underneath collapsing pillow forts and him attending her medical school graduation with pride.

It does seem a bit far-fetched, with all things considered because they weren’t even dating, for crying out loud.

But, still. She **_liked_** him. Which meant that maybe, perhaps with a twenty-five percent chance (Because he’s an overconfident son of a bitch) if he played his cards right after tonight, the prospects of them having a potential future together might be possible.

Unfortunately, though, reality is always one hell of a rude wake-up call. His transformation took for a rather awkward and embarrassing turn, as he awoke to a jumpy start with Ye-Rim’s shrill scream piercing his eardrums. Rolling off her bed, he immediately stands to his feet, noting in disbelief that his hands and legs were no longer tiny, furry paws.

Paling in fear, he slowly looks up, only to find himself exchanging intense gazes with the equally flustered Kim Ye-Rim for a few long, drawn out moments.

Until finally, she opens her mouth to break the awkward silence between them.

“WHY ARE YOU HERE?!” She yells, gathering her blanket around her body protectively. Picking up the few stuffed animals and pillows she had sitting on the mattress, she hurls them at him with intense barbarity. “EXPLAIN – **_YOURSELF_**!”

“ ** _Ow_**!” The still handsome (As much as she hated to admit it, because his messy bedhead and bleary eyes made him look much cuter than normal) Jung-Kook screeches as a Squirtle plush hit his crotch painfully. “Ye-Rim- _ah_ , please stop, s- ** _stop_**!”

“GET OUT!”

“Do you WANT me to explain,” Jung-Kook says, holding up his arms in defense to fend off her never-ending assault of teddy bears and Pokémon stuffies. “Or do you want me to get out? Pick one, woman!”

“And you’re still being a smart-ass!” Ye-Rim snaps irritably. “First, you touch my breasts!”

“Just one,” She hears him mumble.

“Either intentionally, or unintentionally, I don’t know anymore!” She continues furiously, blushing to the roots of her hair. “And now, you’re the one who’s caught intruding in my room – “ She takes a second to glance down at her pajama top which, thankfully, was left untouched. “In my bed next to me!” Hurriedly, she emerges from the comfort of her bed and grabbing one of her notebooks from her desk, thwacks him continuously.

“Ow!”

“Get – out!” She hisses, enunciating every word with each hit aimed at his muscular backside, chasing him out of her bedroom, past the den and into the apartment floor hallway. “I – don’t – want – to – see – you – ever – again!”

And with that, she slams the front door in front of his bewildered, almost crushingly upset face, turning to rest her pounding head against the hardwood.

She’s not sure how much time has passed, but after sucking in several deep breaths in silence to calm herself, she exhales, attempting with great difficulty to ease her erratically beating heart. Pressing her ear against the door, she’s surprised to hear…nothing outside. Not even a slur of curse words, heavy breathing or pacing footsteps. Slowly, she wraps her hand around the doorknob and yanks it open with one great tug. “ _Yah_. Do you want to – ?”

Only to find that Jeon Jung-Kook was, in fact, gone. As livid as she was just moments before, though, she couldn’t help that frown of disappointment slip onto her face when she was greeted with nothing but air.

* * *

 

Today was a Tuesday, which meant that Yoongi had free time to spare from studying for his upcoming GRE and catch up on some news articles here and there. What he didn’t expect ten minutes into his solitude, however, was to be intruded by a disheveled-looking Jeon Jung-Kook, looking a few notches more raggedly than he normally does.

With unkempt black hair and a flushed, pink face, he steps in, only to stop at Yoongi’s table without saying anything. Mistaking the grimace that Jung-Kook had for fatigue for late-night fun, Yoongi grins mischievously, setting down his newspaper.

“So?” He begins curiously. “I presume that you and Ye-Rimmie had fun yesterday, huh?”

What he also wasn’t expecting was for the younger man to collapse onto the table in ugly tears, throwing Yoongi’s half-eaten croissant into the air and onto the dirty floor.

“ _Hyung_ , I’m done for.”

* * *

 

The only positive thing this time around was that Yoongi couldn’t find his mean-spirited side to sass Jung-Kook back. Instead, he lets Jung-Kook finish narrating the last twenty-ish hours of his life, murmuring and humming here and there to indicate that he was still listening. And even at the end of that, Yoongi only got up from his seat to buy the younger man a hot chocolate as a pitiful gesture, no words spoken. Jung-Kook continues to glance at him expectantly for some snarky response, but there was nothing.

“Well? Don’t you have anything to say?”

All he does is nod in agreement before ducking his head behind his paper, saying a bit half-heartedly, “You’re cancelled, son.”

“Yoongi- _hyung_!” Jung-Kook whines, pouting his lower lip out.

“Hey, I’m just sayin’ man, I wasn’t the one whom suggested that you take a risk and shift into an animal,” Yoongi points out in defense. “You already _knew_ from day one that your shape-shifting powers haven’t been perfected enough to master that.”

Jung-Kook knows that. Deep down, at least. But due to his now damaged pride, refused to accept. Resting his head on the table, he sighs, “And she said she _liked_ me, too. I really fucked up this time around.”

“Well,” Yoongi drawls, clicking his tongue at the end. “There might be a final way to fix this.” Noting Jung-Kook’s brightening eyes, however, he adds warningly, “It’s got nothing to do with your powers, though, and there’s no guarantee that she’s going to be all buddy-buddy with you at the end of this, either. Because things like this…” A low rumble of a chuckle escapes his throat. “You can’t really fix with magic.”

“Then, what is it?”

“You’re just going to have to ‘fess up and tell her what you did,” Yoongi says simply.

“That’s balderdash, _hyung_!” Jung-Kook cries out in hysterics. “She’s going to **_hate_** me for the rest of our lives!”

“You can’t avoid your problems forever, Kook,” Yoongi advises wisely. “Unless you plan on disguising yourself invisibly every single time you pass her in the hallway until you graduate and fall in love with someone else, then you better get your ass on that shit.”

“That’s _actually_ not a bad idea – “

Yoongi only smacks Jung-Kook’s head playfully. “I was just joking, you dumb fuck.”

* * *

 

Even with the mundane tasks of scanning cigarettes for drunk customers (In the early afternoon, to add), sweeping floors and re-stocking cups of ramen on the shelves occupying her mind, Jeon Jung-Kook continued to invade her thoughts every few minutes. Where was he? What was he doing right now? Was he perhaps, like her, thinking of what to do? How was he going to eventually face her? How was _she_ going to respond to him?

And perhaps the biggest mystery of all, why was he – of all people – there in her bed this morning? The events from the morning flush back in great detail, and she can’t help the intense blush that attacked her cheeks when she recalls how peaceful he looked whilst asleep. The customer – an old _ahjusshi_ – only takes a worried glance at Ye-Rim before snorting. “Something good happened to you today, missy?”

“Uh,” Ye-Rim replies uncertainly, finding difficulty in selecting the right words. “One might be able to say that?” _Wait, what?_

Once he leaves, she squats down to glance at her phone left hidden underneath the cash register. Swiping it with her thumb to unlock it, she finds herself staring at an empty messaging screen with Jung-Kook’s phone number as the impending receiver. Even if she did have a means of contacting him, what would she even _say_?

Gnawing on her lower lip, she begins to type. _Hey, we need to talk._ Nah, that made it seem a bit too stern. Like Jung-Kook was in deep shit, and she was going to punish him. Even though objectively speaking, he was in a heap load of trouble. But, she didn’t have the heart to do it. And anyway, beating the hell out of his shoulder blades was already enough, wasn’t it?

 _Jung-Kook, It’s been awhile!_ She groans inwardly. She _just_ saw him today. Unless ‘awhile’ constituted a few hours ago.

 _Jung-Kook-sshi, hi there. I don’t know if you still have my number, but it’s me, Ye-Rim. I just wanted to ask you a few questions regarding what happened today?_ She rolls her eyes. Yes, yes, of course, he knows it’s her. Which other beds would be even be sleeping in? Unless he had the capacity to split himself into different forms, but that only existed in fictional stories, did it not?

 _Hi Jung-Kook-sshi, it’s me, Ye-Rim. I’m sorry that I yelled at you this morning; I’ll admit, I was a tad bit dramatic._ On the other hand, he was the one that was caught in her bed when he wasn’t supposed to be there. So technically, she shouldn’t really be apologizing now, should she? She winces when she recalls how hard she had smacked him. Jesus Christ, that probably hurt. She hopes it didn’t leave a bruise.

_I’m sorry that I hit you today. Would you like to grab something to drink and maybe we might have a chance to talk this out?_

“I think that you should probably get off your phone before your supervisor sees you, Ye-Rimmie. He’s a bit of an asshole, right?” A feminine voice counsels kindly, placing various items on the countertop. Snapping her head upwards, she finds herself face to face with –

“Ah, Joo-Hyun _unni_!” Ye-Rim breaks out into a large welcoming smile at the older woman. “Long time no see!”

“Are you on your break?” The brown-haired woman asks curiously.

“I should be in about ten minutes – “

“Good. That’s settled, then. Let’s go get something to eat.”

* * *

 

It may seem somewhat odd that a twenty-six-year-old married woman would find the greatest enjoyment and pleasure in drinking bubble tea and eating fish cakes on skewers with an eighteen-year-old. But as strange as that image may seem to the public eye, this was nothing but a regular (Yet somewhat rare and sparse) get-together for Ye-Rim.

When Ye-Rim and Joo-Hyun first met, she had just moved from her hometown to Seoul. And coincidentally enough, they were also next-door neighbors living on the same floor of the apartment complex. Knowing that Joo-Hyun was in desperate need of finances to fund her college education, her parents had sought out the then first-year university student for babysitting.

Eventually, with time (Including plenty of failed arts and crafts projects, disastrous cookies and gossiping), Joo-Hyun and Ye-Rim were able to establish a connection deeper than just regular friendship. The younger one enjoyed the elders’ presence very much; she was the perfect older sister that she had always coveted: Understanding, kind-hearted and most importantly, wise. And Ye-Rim finds that even now with having a husband and preparing to grow her family with her first pregnancy, her good qualities never faded.

Especially now, where Joo-Hyun – who was able to read the younger girl like a book – thoughtfully listened to Ye-Rim’s current distractions, AKA Jeon Jung-Kook.

When his name escaped Ye-Rim’s lips, Joo-Hyun nodded understandingly and smiled unconsciously to herself, as if knowing a secret that only she herself was aware of.

“Do you know him?” Ye-Rim asks incredulously.

“Many, many years ago, I knew Jung-Kook, too. He was…” Joo-Hyun’s voice trails off into a melodic aria of giggles. “Incredibly adorable.”

“That, I can agree with,” Ye-Rim remarks, twirling the pearls at the bottom of her drink with her straw.

“And as I suspected, still as absurdly reckless like he used to be. Maybe a teensy bit more intelligent, but that’s probably because of the help that he gets from his friends.”

“What do you mean?”

* * *

 

Some fifteen or so years ago, Jeon Jung-Kook had fallen into a deep rabbit hole called puppy love for the very first time. Of course, he was only a child back then. So basically, anything that moved in front of him that looked reminiscent of one of the goddesses from his picture books about Greek deities (Or, had an uncanny resemblance to his favorite Girls’ Generation member, Kim Tae-Yeon) would send him in a fanboy-ish doozy.

Bae Joo-Hyun, therefore, was no exception to this. And when the prepubescent and incredibly pimply youngster heard rumors circling around the school district of a legendary _ulzzang_ that spent Valentine’s Day declining every attempt made to woo her, he was among one of those who snuck into her middle school graduation ceremony to catch a glimpse of her.

And then proceed to scream ecstatically while jumping up and down like a rabid maniac, “That’s my future **_wife_**!”

Suffice to say, Joo-Hyun and Jung-Kook’s lives soon became intertwined. Albeit rather unconventionally. She was close friends with her older brother, Jeon Jung-Hyun, and were also (Fortunately) in the same homeroom. So, often they were partnered up with for group projects or simply wanted to study together; and not surprisingly, she would always be welcomingly invited to Jung-Kook’s place.

And every single time – which she at the time had attributed to mere coincidences – Jung-Kook was never there.

“Oh, with a friend! Playing baseball!”, “Playing basketball!” or “Catching frogs in the pond!” Jung-Hyun would always say as he hiccoughed uncontrollably in her presence. The hiccoughs, she didn’t mind; Jung-Kook’s absence, however, was a bit more concerning for her – she feared that he had grown self-conscious and embarrassed for confidently declaring that he would wed her, and wanted to avoid seeing her. Yet, with each visit, Jung-Hyun just continued to reassure her (Flushing a bright shade of tomato every time she brought his younger brother up) that he was okay, and everything was fine.

What she truly didn’t understand, however, was how much he struggled in helping her with their calculus homework. _Especially_ given that Jung-Hyun particularly excelled in the subject.

“It sounds to me like his older brother didn’t want Jung-Kook to act as a cockblocker.” Ye-Rim frowns.

“You _would_ think that Jung-Hyun would be the one who liked me, but he ended up dating another classmate of ours in the second year of high school. So, that didn’t make any sense.”

Jung-Hyun also wasn’t a particularly sporty type. So, _why_ he ended up joining the weightlifting team was beyond her understanding. Yet, she would attend every competition that he joined (Because he had asked oh-so-politely, not necessarily because she loved the sport), and in every single event he partook in, he would always return with a gigantic winning smile and a blue ribbon to signify his victory.

“Isn’t that odd? The Jung-Hyun I knew was artsier, and once, I heard from a friend that he was alone in the art room, sculpting something for his six-month anniversary with his girlfriend, when there was an athletic meet in _Haeundae_.” Joo-Hyun didn’t think more of it, thinking that boys that age probably had their own little phases here and there.

Until their high school graduation ceremony that is, in which Jung-Kook had also attended. As he posed with her and his older brother for a photograph, he let out an unmistakably familiar choke for air when she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Her suspicions were aroused, but unfortunately, she never had a chance to confront the younger man about it because she ended up moving to Seoul the following summer and barely returned to her hometown after that.

By chance though, sometime last year before she got married, Joo-Hyun did manage to bump into Jung-Hyun while she was out shopping. And as they reminisced over coffee and cake about old times, the conversation had jumped to Jung-Kook.

“Ah, well,” Jung-Hyun had said at the time, pouring sugar into his drink. “He’s still young, dumb and as stupid as he was from back then.” Adding rather slyly, he states, “Y’know, he did try really hard to make a good impression on you back then because of his insanely large crush on you. He’s doing well now though, studying to be a microbiologist! I would’ve told him to major in mathematics because he actually won one of the regional competitions when he was a high schooler. He’s a pretty smart kid when he needs to be.”

They didn’t say much about him after that, but that in itself was enough of a validation for Joo-Hyun. “You see what I mean, right?” She asks rhetorically, hoping that Ye-Rim was smart enough to pick up the rather humorous anecdotes from her teenage years. “What I soon realized was that, as crazy as it probably sounded, Jung-Hyun…was not Jung-Hyun at all.”

It takes a few seconds for the sentence to register in Ye-Rim’s mind, but once it does, realization soon overcomes her face, and she lets out an embarrassing laugh into her hands. “Oh, my God. If that was the case, are you saying that…Jung-Kook is a shapeshifter?”

Joo-Hyun doesn’t say anything, leaving Ye-Rim to ponder more deeply about this on her own.

Could it be?

Hang on a moment. Lee Tae-Yong. What happened that day? All she remembers was how Ho-Seok kept texting to make sure she was coming…and that when she did get there, Tae-Yong seemed to be suffering from an unfortunate bout of hiccoughs, too. Nothing seemed too peculiar, but now that she was thinking about it, were his signatures on her albums even _authentic_? She’ll take a closer look at the albums when she’s home.

Dino Lee. The fact that he, too, had sporadic hiccoughs during their marathon was somewhat abnormal. But what she found even stranger was why on _Earth_ did he look so damn confused when asked how his ankle was healing after their marathon together? He even said, “I didn’t hurt myself though.” When she went to visit him the next day at his house to show him that they were made it in the newspaper together, he didn’t even bat an eyelash and only mumbled something about being late for his date with Soonyoung. Yet, Jung-Kook looked considerably happier a few days after that when she passed by him in the cafeteria. By chance, was it just a coincidence?      

Hang on. Soo-Young. There was something weird there, too. She was a renowned lover of desserts, yet on the day of their hang-out, she didn’t even want to eat any of the sweets and took all of Ye-Rim’s savory sandwiches instead. Even more peculiar was how she suddenly became so strong, beating up her _chaebol_ boyfriend _and_ threatening to hurt Min-Hyuk when he came too close towards her. Thinking back to that day, Ye-Rim lets out a laugh when she recalls how she tripped several times in an hour when walking in those ridiculous boots.

“You’re starting to see it, too, huh?” Joo-Hyun asks, palming her chin. “And you know what? If my hunches aren’t wrong, I would bet that the Shiba Inu you played with and let into your apartment was in fact, Jung-Kook, too.”

Ye-Rim sits, still stunned with disbelief. Jung-Kook was a shape-shifter? She wasn’t dreaming, right? Because _really_? Fucking _really_? The idea of someone with that ability only drawn in _manga_ and seen in _anime_ just seems quite unfathomable to her.   

“I won’t lie,” Joo-Hyun says suddenly. “Him impersonating his older brother as a way to impress me floored me quite a bit.” She lets out an airy laugh. “I’m sure he’s forgotten about me by now, but he does slip into my thoughts from time to time. And quite honestly, a guy like that – who would go to such lengths to impress a girl like you – is commendable.” Adding quietly, she says, “After all, you don’t find a dedicated shape-shifter like _him_ every century.”

Ye-Rim doesn’t know what to say. But, at last she, too, giggles in agreement with the older woman. The initial anger that had fuelled her stomach just moments before was now ebbing away, because honestly, where on this Earth would she find a person who would run a half-marathon with her, impersonate her favourite idol by learning two of his groups’ most taxing choreographies and protectively shield her from flirtatious men?

“Don’t forget your puppy therapy session.”

Ah, yes. That’s right:  A person whom also came to her aid during her most difficult time to cheer her on and encourage her when she fell into a slump. As a _puppy_.

“Well,” Ye-Rim finally says with a rather triumphant grin. “He might be full of tricks up his sleeve, but I’ve got a few that I know of, too.”

* * *

 

Nam-Joon sighs in defeat, kicking the curled up lump huddled underneath the thick blankets. “Kook. Get up. You know you can’t stay like this forever.”

Jung-Kook takes an angry peek at the assailant through an open hole before huffily stating, “ _No_.”

“C’mon.” Ho-Seok protests, tugging on the blanket away. 

“Ho-Seokkie- _hyung_ , stop!”

“Jung-Kook.” Tae-Hyung says sternly.

“Yes?”

“You’re going to fail all of your courses this semester.”

Jung-Kook snorts as if he doesn’t give a fuck. Because truthfully, he really didn’t at this point in time. “I don’t care. I barely cracked open my textbooks, anyway. Sue me if you must.”

“You’re such a pathetic wimp!” Jimin complains loudly, hoping the insult would have (At the very least) forced him out of his protective cover. But instead, all Jung-Kook does is extend his hand outwards and smack the older man in the calf painfully before retreating.

“How would you like it if you made a horribly bad impression on the girl you like, huh, Jimin- _hyung_? Oh, wait!” Jung-Kook snaps sarcastically. “You **_don’t_** know because you’ve never been in love, have you?”

“Jung-Kook the tortoise,” Seokjin mocks, arms crossed disapprovingly against his chest. “Is _that_ what you want to be called from now on?”

“Or, maybe it’s better to call him Jung-Kook the hermit. How many days has it been since he washed his hair? Something reeks.” Yoongi comments in disgust.

“Mind your own business and leave me alone!” Jung-Kook retorts childishly. “Oh, and by the way, Yoongi- _hyung_ , that stench is from Seokjin- _hyung_ ’s feet!”

Yoongi sends the older man a disapproving glare. “Seriously, dude? That’s fuckin’ gross.”

“Sorry! I just have too much sweat, okay?”

“Jung-Kook,” Nam-Joon begins empathetically, rubbing his heaving backside soothingly. “We don’t want you to treat this like it’s the end of the world. Like Yoongi- _hyung_ said yesterday, you _can_ fix this with Ye-Rimmie. But only if you face your problems head-on. You can’t keep hiding underneath your duvet and pretend nothing ever happened.”

“Yeah!” Ho-Seok adds encouragingly, squatting down. “Ye-Rimmie’s very kind and considerate. I’m sure that once you apologize, she’ll eventually forgive you. Unless that is…” He shrugs, and Jung-Kook’s ears perk up. “You don’t _want_ her to.”

“She might even start dating someone else and give up on you altogether.”

“Someone like… _Dino_ , maybe?” Jung-Kook’s eyes widen in sheer terror and panic. _B-but, he’s dating Soonyoung, right?!_  

“Or, that Min-Hyuk guy that had his eyes out for her when Jung-Kook was Soo-Young. He’s my upperclassman, and when he’s not surrounded by those cronies, he’s actually a pretty alright dude – ”

“’ _Alright dude_ ’, my fuckin’ ass!” Jung-Kook interrupts rudely.

“Okay, then. Maybe not Min-Hyuk, but ah! How about – “

_Okay, this is fuckin’ it. I’m done._

With that, Jung-Kook stands up and storms out of his bedroom, pushing Seokjin and Yoongi aside, and into the bathroom to shower and get dressed for class. His friends, standing in a circle, only stare in awe as they hear water spraying and steam emitting from the door.

“Well, that was one way to get the job done.” Yoongi remarks.

“But,” Jimin counters, letting out a long, low whistle. “He _really_ needs to get his priorities sorted out.”

Nam-Joon shakes his head, thoroughly entertained by the younger mans’ antics. “Nah. Let him be. Young love is the best kind of love, after all.”

* * *

 

Getting Jeon Jung-Kook pumped and passionate to attend class with a rather strange pep talk was one thing.

Actually getting him to step _off_ the bus, onto the sidewalk and make the five-minute trek to the auditorium for his first class was an entirely different matter.

So, here Yoongi and Nam-Joon were with their self-respect lost as they carried a rather hefty, sobbing Jung-Kook on their shoulders like a father would do to a child having their hourly temper tantrum. Except that Jung-Kook was (Thank the Lord) not their son because they were sure that their own child would not do anything to this degree of ridiculousness at the age of twenty-something.

“PUT. ME. DOWN!” Jung-Kook screams, attracting unwanted attention from many first-years.   

“You’re embarrassing the hell out of us,” Nam-Joon grunts. “I take it back. Young love is actually a very frightening force that can manipulate people to do things beyond human control.”

“Just you wait until I turn into your worst nightmares, and then you’ll be _fuckin’_ – “ Jung-Kook snarls through violent kicks and thrashes, only to suddenly stop his tirade.

Because standing right in front of him with widened, almost judging eyes was Kim Ye-Rim. Her in that oversized hoodie and navy-blue backpack, staring at him.

It was as if God just wanted to fuck with him, because why oh _why_ was she always there during the worst moments of his adulthood?

Jesus fuckin’ Christ.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. She’s there, she’s there.” He mumbles, attempting to block his face from view with his hands.

“Uh, who?”

“You know **_who_**!”

“Sorry, you’re going to have to be more specific.” The lilt coating Yoongi’s voice was torturous.

“Just get me in there!”

Nam-Joon smirks. “Or not.”

 _I hate you all._ But hey, at least it worked. Jung-Kook immediately hops off their shoulders, and once his feet meet the pavement, he bolts straight for the entrance without taking a second glance behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Irene makes a very brief cameo being Jung-Kook's "first crush", Ye-Rim FINALLY puts the pieces together and has something up her sleeve and Jung-Kook...well, as we all know now, he's still a foolish (But cute) dummy. Thanks for reading! :3


	8. JungRi - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last. Finally, at last.  
> Firstly, my apologies to those whom have been waiting for the finale. Four months of waiting really is unacceptably long, so I hope this 16-paged finale makes up for it! :D  
> Secondly, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for giving kudos and providing such wonderful comments for this story for the past seven-ish months :)! To be honest, when I started writing this story, I didn't expect it to receive as much love as it has received thus far - but thank-YOU so much for giving me and JungRi a chance! ^^ <3!  
> And of course, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Fifth Time's the Charm.

If Jung-Kook truly cared about his grades and had super strong aspirations in becoming a microbiologist like how Ye-Rim wanted to become a doctor, he _would’ve_ practiced the teachings from his high school counsellor about discipline and self-motivation as the ‘ _keys to success_ ’.

But, let’s be real:  Jung-Kook has left his adolescence far behind him (Nearly 5 years, as a matter of fact), and secondly, discipline was the last thing running around in his mind. Biting his nails anxiously (A habit that he has long abandoned), he paces around back and forth in the confines of Nam-Joon’s empty office.

When he first arrived, his brain somehow tricked him into believing that this was a nice idea. Nam-Joon had a personal microwave in here, too, for God’s sake.

But, the longer he overstayed his welcome, the more paranoid he became – checking through the closed blinds every few seconds and pressing his ear up against the locked door for recognizable footsteps or voices. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” He grumbles, rubbing his temples to soothe his palpitating heart. “What in the fuck am I supposed to do?” Pulling up a map of the school campus from his folder, he scans the aerial snapshot quickly for hiding spots – but with absolutely no success.

His growling stomach suddenly rumbles. Yes, he admits: He’s fucking **_starving_** , and glancing at the pitiful apple and bag of chips that he had thrown into his backpack, he now wished that Seok-Jin had prepared a sandwich for him before he left for school.

But, there was no way in hell that he’s venturing into the cafeteria. Who _knows_ how much trouble he’ll be in if his friends caught him there, feasting on a set lunch with no cares given?

(The answer was a lot, but everybody knew that.)

Standing next to the cafeteria was the century-old library; a rickety, unstable three-story building near the bus loop and often crowded, especially now with final examinations and last-minute assignments swooping in on the students. Jung-Kook was absolutely no exception to this, but rather than studying like the well-behaved student his mother thought he was, well, here he was doing anything **_but_**.

With a finger tucked underneath his chin, he contemplates that the tenth floor – stuffed to the brim with dusty volumes of textbooks dating several decades before Jung-Kook was even born – would be next best choice. Then again, he grimaces with a clenched fist, it was “secluded” for explicit reasons that still made his cheeks hot and mouth dry regardless of how much pornography he was accidentally exposed to when browsing through Jimin’s laptop.

Abandoning the sheet of paper altogether, he tears into his snack and stuffs the Cheetohs forcefully into his mouth, his mood turning foul – partly at the absence of crispiness, but mostly at his own idiocy. Nam-Joon’s office, stuffy and cramped, wasn’t going to last as his sanctuary forever. Glancing at the clock hurriedly, his insides tighten worriedly.

In his most vulnerable state – fatigued and famished – Nam-Joon would probably barge in, drag him by the ear and then throw him into his lecture.

Or, even worse, bring Kim Ye-Rim **_with_** him, seat them on either side of a makeshift confessional booth while Jung-Kook awkwardly confessed his sins.

Then again, falling in love _technically_ wasn’t a sinful act, anyway.

God damn, Jung-Kook thinks as he sifts through the pile of unmarked papers detailing the different components of cellular membranes on his elders’ desk; maybe he should just make like an eagle and _fly home_. Now _that_ would probably be the best solution, thus far.     

_No, that plan guaranteed one hundred percent failure. I’d probably fall to my death mid-flight. I still need some recovery after transforming into Kookie._

“Ow!” Amid his thoughts, Jung-Kook mistakenly pricks his finger against a thriving cactus sitting on the edge of Nam-Joon’s desk. “ _Hyung_ really needs to reconsider the things he houses in his office, Jesus.”

Wait. Hang on.

…

God, he really _is_ so senseless. Today was a Tuesday. He doesn’t volunteer in his professor’s laboratory on Tuesdays.

And his friends knew his schedule to a _tee –_ according to them, he _would’ve_ made a quick sprint for the 17 at 1:02 P.M. to head home.

But, of course, he wasn’t going to do that.

Not today.

* * *

 

Ye-Rim’s been in this room many times. She’s familiar with the scent of musk and mint soap, the photographs of smiling parents and friends (From the corner of her eye, she notes a Sepia-toned photo of a cute Jeon Jung-Kook smashing a congratulatory cake into Nam-Joon's face), the succulents that littered the place and the dimly-lit design.

She recalls feeling incredibly intimidated sitting in such proximity with a humble yet brilliant mind to discuss measly first-year biology several months ago, but eventually with time, she overcame that obstacle; but even more unfathomable, was how her relationship with Nam-Joon had progressed from mentor and student to somewhat close friends.

Was this surprising, though? Not really, especially when his friend and she ended up weaving such a complicated relationship together.  

But today, she wasn’t here to seek out study tips or ask curiously perplexing questions about human anatomy.  

Nam-Joon speaks first, clicking his tongue with his hands on his hips. He peers into the trash can sitting by his office chair, and mumbles, “He was here.”

“Apple core?” The rather silent Yoongi chimes in casually.

“And his chips. I saw him pack them in this morning.”

Ye-Rim hears the man beside her sigh in aggravation, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He keeps running away. I’m not surprised.”  

Nam-Joon then picks up a poorly photocopied map of the university campus, waving it in the air like a flag. “I know, Ye-Rimmie,” He deadpans. “Your boyfriend is incompetent with directions and still needs this in his backpack after two years here.”

“Not-my-boyfriend,” Ye-Rim butts in crossly, but soon after, her eyes soften and her cheeks flush “...Yet.”

She blushes darker when she hears Yoongi murmur an irritable, “Oh, my God”.

“If he were here though,” Nam-Joon half-shouts, toeing around the space with his hands raised as if he was trying to feel for something (Or, now that Ye-Rim was aware of Jung-Kook’s secret, _someone_ ). He circles through, extending his hands through the nooks and crannies, pressing up against cabinet surfaces while keeping a watchful eye for any sudden jerkish movements.

If it were anyone else other than them, Ye-Rim was sure that Nam-Joon would get reported for ‘inappropriate misconduct against wooden storage spaces’.

“He left a little bit after we came,” The older concludes, shooting Ye-Rim an apologetic glance. “Sorry, Ye-Rimmie. I thought we would’ve been able to corner him here.”

“I’m disheartened, yeah,” She admits, shrugging. “But, I’m not giving up yet.”

Yoongi chuckles. “Dang, you’re feisty. No wonder Jung-Kookie is so enamored with you.”

Tilting her head from side to side, she grins, gums showing and all. “I’ll take that as a compliment, yeah?”

“What can I say? He likes them salty.”

“Alright, alright,” Nam-Joon says lowly. “I think if that little flirtatious banter wasn’t enough to provoke Kook, then he’s **_definitely_** not here. You two can get to know each other another time. The most important thing right now is to locate Jung-Kook.” Pausing, he rolls his eyes before palming his face and says, “The sooner we get this resolved, the better.”

“Nam-Joon- _opp_ a, I’m so sorry – “

“Eh,” The chuckle escapes the older man’s throat in an amused rumble. “It’s not your fault. Blame your sorta-almost-not-yet boyfriend.” He pauses before resuming, “I know this might be a long shot, but do you have any idea where he could be?”

Ye-Rim taps her chin, lips pursed. “Knowing how he behaves, I can only guess that he would go home altogether. But, he‘s not as dumb as we think.”

Yoongi snorts. “I beg to differ.”

"And, since all six of you seem to know his schedule, I doubt he’d be going to class. So...” Pressing her index finger against her forehead, she attempts to recall their first meeting at the blind date event. What did he say back then?

HIs name was Jeon Jung-Kook (No, duh). He went to the same university as her. He studied biology. He liked hip-hop and the occasional classical. And he...he...

It clicks.

“Oh. Oh, my gosh. Why didn’t I see it sooner? Of course, he won’t be here. He might be – “

“Sorry, but do you mind showing us instead?”

And she does, shading in a small box with a yellow highlighter.

* * *

 

Whatever Jung-Kook lacked in comparison to others (Ie:  Nam-Joon's IQ, Yoongi’s ability to keep his cool whenever critiqued and not give two fucks, Tae-Hyung‘s cheeriness, Seokjin‘s shoulders etcetera), he made up for with his eagerness and his unperturbed motivation to learn.

Mock him however you liked – he's heard ‘try-hard’ and ‘overzealous’ most often, but it was exactly these two things that made him stand out amongst one hundred applications for the volunteer research assistant position with the renowned Bang Si-Hyuk, AKA, one of Jung-Kook's favourite parasitology lecturers.

The latter was heatedly debatable amongst his classmates, considering that he had a ‘no-nonsense’ attitude with high expectations from his students and only a small handful of them ever received A’s.  Plus, that rather distracting and bulbous nose proved to be much more interesting than the different types of bacteria found in the human gut. 

In any case, it’s often quite difficult to receive approval from the well-respected professor. But, being Jeon Jung-Kook – whom was captivated by the most grotesque of diseases and spent fifteen minutes after every lecture to discuss topics beyond the scope of the class – well, Bang Si-Hyuk was going to develop favouritism eventually. 

He wasn’t the brightest of minds, far from it, honestly.  But, his work ethic and passion consistently proved to him that he made the right choice.

Today was no exception.

“Oh! Jung-Kook- _ah_!” He booms loudly just as he exits his office for lunch break. And in a combination of terror and panic (The worst of the worst possible), Jung-Kook nearly knocks off his bottle of plant extract from the table.

“Oh, Professor Bang!” He greets, a hand on his chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” _Somewhat of an understatement; what doesn’t give you heart palpitations nowadays?_

“What are you doing here?” Bang Si-Hyuk asks curiously. “I thought you only volunteer on Wednesdays and Fridays?”

“Ah, well, see, I uh – “

Technically, he wanted to say:  _I don’t want to be here, but I also can’t go home because my friends and the girl that I like are most likely going to trap me in my apartment. I would prefer to die first, rather than see all of them together. Actually, if I say that, will you please call the police for me?_

Instead, he says with an awkward stammer and a somewhat guilty gaze, “I um, I just really love working for you?”

...My God, how hard was it just to say that he was ‘ ** _free’_**?

Bang Si-Hyuk coughs loudly to hide the second-hand embarrassment he had for his student. “I um, I appreciate that, Jung-Kook. I guess. Well, uh, carry on with your work, okay?”

And with that, he steps into the empty corridor and up the stairs to the main floor, leaving Jung-Kook to moan and well in **_yet_** another mortifying moment to add to his collection. As if he didn’t have enough with Ye-Rim to last him a lifetime.

Jung-Kook knows that he’ll have to conquer his fear inevitably. He wants to tell himself to get a grip because God flipping damnit, she’s _just a girl_.

That’s right. She’s a girl.

She’s just a girl that _he’s unmistakably fallen in love with_.

He bangs his head on the counter in defeat. “I **_loathe_** myself.”

Just as he was about to retrieve another flask to dilute his extract, his ears perk up at the series of heavy footsteps just around the corner.

And what made things worse were the voices that he was already so familiar with.

The deep gruff tenor was clearly his Yoongi- _hyung_. “I can’t believe I’m wasting precious studying time for this shit.”

“Hey, don’t be crass.” A recognizable rasp in the form of Nam-Joon _hyung_ interrupts Yoongi’s complaint.

And finally, a light, airy laugh that made his knees tremble in weakness. “It’s okay. I swear a lot, too.”

Dropping everything in terror, his eyes scour the entire room for possible hiding places in the laboratory. There was no way he could fit in the drawers or the cupboards and shifting into an inanimate object was something beyond the scope of his skills.

He glances at the large aquarium tank that Bang Si-Hyuk had installed several months ago, housing several aquatic animals’ swimming around through the water peacefully. Shedding the lab coat, his heart lurches in nervousness, knowing full well that this was a rather dangerous idea.

But still, it was this – or nothing at all. Heaving a deep breath, he closes his eyes for a quick prayer and then jumps into the fish tank. How hard could it be? He’s seen Jimin and Tae-Hyung do it. And if Jimin, a person who had an unrealistic fear of getting sliced in half by a great white shark, could dive into the deep end of a pool, then why couldn’t he?

How nice must it be to have undying faith in yourself?

Unfortunately, this was not one of those times. And sooner or later, it was going to lead to his downfall.  

* * *

 

“We caught you red-handed, Jeon Jung – “ Nam-Joon hollers triumphantly, only to be met with disappointment when he was nowhere to be found.

“His backpack is here, so Ye-Rimmie's hunch is right,” Yoongi says, pointing at the open black bag sitting on the counter. Walking over to it, he pulls out Jung-Kook's laptop and his coffee-stained notebook. “Nothing out of the ordinary, though.” He picks up the plastic tube, showing it to Ye-Rim. “Do you think I should take a sniff?”

“Anything in a lab, I would recommend you not to.”

Nam-Joon, whom had disappeared into a small room, soon emerged afterward with a deepened frown. “He’s not in Professor Bang’s office, either.” 

“Yes, but his lab coat is...” Ye-Rim picks it up from the ground, dusted in specks of brown and grey. “He just left it here? On the **_floor_**? He doesn’t seem like the type to just vanish into thin air.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Yoongi corrects, waggling a finger in front of her face. “We’re not dealing with a typical lovesick university student here.”

She giggles, brushing him away. “Ah. Yes, you’ve caught me right there.”

**_BAM!_ **

It all happened too quickly for Ye-Rim to register what had happened. One moment, Yoongi was flicking off the dust from her cheeks. And the next, the six-feet long aquarium housing vibrant sea anemones, brightly-colored clownfish, zebrafish and a poisonous lionfish bursts open, spraying water everywhere.

Yoongi forcefully grabs Ye-Rim's arm, yanking her underneath a desk to shield them from the small shards of glass shooting out in all directions. “Nam-Joon- _ah_!” He orders, watching the younger man stand still in shock. “Come on!”

“It-it’s not that, Yoongi- _hyung_! It’s just that – ”

“Spit it out, won’t you?!”

“Jung-Kookie just...fell out of the aquarium!”

_What?!_

Ignoring Yoongi’s warning, Ye-Rim bolts out from underneath the desk and sloshes through the water, letting out a shrill, piercing scream when she sees a familiar figure on the ground.

Unlike the other occupants of the tank, however, he wasn‘t flopping around clumsily. And that was probably what scared her the most. Instead, he lay completely still on the floor as the water pooled around his body, soaking everything from his clothes to his hair to his shoes.

She kneels next to him, not caring about her clothes or the small pieces of glass that surrounded them. The glass pricks at her skin like tiny bug bites, leaving small bloody lesions on her arms and hands. She hoists his heavy body with great difficulty onto her lap, slapping his cheeks in an attempt to wake him up.

No response. He was completely unconscious, his lips a ghostly white with the water dribbling out of his mouth in a steady stream. 

“Jung-Kook _oppa_! Please, please, wake up. Wake up!” Amongst the background noise of Yoongi panicking and Nam-Joon dialing the emergency number for assistance, her voice grew hoarse and desperate.

Shakily, she holds her finger against his nose and then presses against the side of his neck. Nam-Joon didn’t even have to ask with her face draining of any remaining colour when he neared her.

“N-no pulse.” She whispers.  

Yoongi hisses angrily, burying his face into his hands. “He doesn’t know how to swim. But, _of course_ , of all things to shift into, he chooses a freaking **_fish_**? Jesus, Kook- _ah_! Don’t die on us!”

“EMS is on their way!” Nam-Joon bellows frantically. “Does anyone know first aid? **_Anyone_**?!”

“Fuck, I knew I should’ve taken that workshop when I had the chance.”

“I-I do.” Ye-Rim replies, almost inaudibly.

Nam-Joon stares at her with piercing uncertainty. “You’re not up for this task, Ye-Rim. Look at yourself. You’re _trembling_.”

“I-I can’t do this,” She wants to shrink into a hole, or – better yet – pretend this was all just a horrible nightmare and wake up with Jung-Kook in her bed like that morning. She’d much prefer a reality like that than something like this. The tears that were welling up in her eyes were now flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks. “I really can’t. I can’t help him. I’m hopeless – ”

“Shut the **_FUCK_** up,” Yoongi snaps suddenly, grabbing her by the shoulders to shake her fears away. “Look, Kim Ye-Rim. No. Look at **_ME_**. Now. You’re our last hope here. The only person that can help Jung-Kook right now is _you_. Regardless of how fucking stupid he is, I don’t want him to die so pitifully like this. And I’m sure you don’t want to, either.”

Her tearful sobs reduce to slight sniffles, and Yoongi continues harshly, “I’m not going to tell you twice; we’re wasting precious time that we can use in saving Jung-Kook. Pull your fucking shit together. Not just for him, but for the both of you, for us, for his family, for crying out loud! You **_got_** this. You have the skills to save a life. You’re more well-versed than _anyone_.”

His eyes soften, and his grip on her loosens. “Jung-Kook liked you for a reason, Ye-Rim- ** _ah_**. Show him that his feelings weren’t for naught.”

With streaks of dried tears remaining, she wipes her nose and nods. “Okay.”

It takes her a few moments to remember the procedure. She sets him flat on his back, tilting his head to the side and watches the remaining stream of water drain out of his system. Rolling up her sleeves, she pinches his nose, pressing her lips against his to initiate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

_Four times in, and a check for signs of life. Four times in again, and another check. You know what to do._

She doesn’t know how much time had passed by since she started, and she wasn’t sure if Yoongi and Nam-Joon were still inside the completely flooded room, or outside to help the paramedics.

As she completed the fifth cycle, she wipes away the beads of sweat from her forehead and murmurs, her voice hushed, “Jung-Kook- _oppa_. You’re not going to die on me without taking me on a date. You’re not going to leave your friends like this. I still want to show you my favourite K-Pop groups. I want to know what you like to eat. I want to take you to see Joo-Hyun _unni_ again. I want to go on picnics with you and have piggyback rides. I want to go to the gym with you. I want to make you try more desserts. I want to run marathons with you. I want to hold your hand and walk up and down _Samcheong-Dong_ with you. I want to know everything about you, and I want to hear it from you directly.”

“So, please,” She begs quietly with a tight squeeze of his hand. “Wake up.”

* * *

 

Jung-Kook awoke in a rather…strange and peculiar place, gulping for air with his arms and legs thrashing about as if he were still free-falling into the murky depths of the water.

But he wasn’t. It takes him a few minutes to calm down, and once he did, he sat straight up, rubbing his throbbing head to ease his migraine. Sucking in a deep breath, he exhales in relief; he’ll never take pure, fresh oxygen for granted ever again.

Except, this didn’t look like anywhere he recognized. Was this a tunnel of sorts? It certainly seemed like it, considering that one end continued into impending darkness and the other lead into a bright, white light.

“Well, no use just sitting here now, right?” Getting to his feet, he brushes whatever he sat on off his now-dry clothes and moves through the confined space slowly, noting how he had to squat slightly to keep his head from hitting cement. His forehead and back were sticky with sweat, and his thighs were aching from the torturous position that he was in – ugh, if only…

“Hold it **_RIGHT THERE_**!” Jung-Kook’s heart hammers erratically in his chest when he looks up at the source of the voice.  Just at the end of the dark pathway, he could make out a stout, frail silhouette in the distance. Despite the figure’s physical appearance, its’ stance was overwhelmingly powerful. Somehow, it reminded the younger man of the villain from ‘The Nun’, sending chilling goosebumps up and down his arms.

“Jeon Jung-Kook, this is not your time right now!”  

This ‘person’ (Or thing, whatever it was) stood their ground, but the ever-curious Jung-Kook couldn’t help himself. He inches closer and closer, only for the figure to shriek back, “Back off!”

“Who are you to tell me to stop!?”

And then, he realizes what this apparition is. “You’re Death? Are you the Grim Reaper?”

“Um, it doesn’t matter.” My **_God_** , it was certainly weird speaking to the one thing humans feared the most. Especially when it wasn’t performing its duties all too well. “All that does is that I don’t want to take you right now!”

Taken aback, Jung-Kook stammers in confusion, “W-why not?!”

“You have a LONG life ahead of you, Jeon Jung-Kook. I know you hear terrible things about me, robbing people’s lives and such, but consider me merciful just for today. You can come back after you’ve had a date with that lovely lady-friend of yours!“

 _Lady-friend. Does he mean ‘girlfriend’? W-wait…is he referring to Ye-Rim?!_ Now, _that_ totally freaked him out. “H-how do you know – ?”

“I’m **_Death_**. What don’t I know? Now, get going! Go back the way you came from!”

“Fine, fine!” Jung-Kook snaps with the hormonal rage of a teenager. “But uh, can I get some help? I don’t want to make the trek back. I’m already sweaty enough as is.”

“You’re ridiculous.  Be thankful that I ship you and Ye-Rim just as much as you ship yourself with her.” The apparition did, anyway, delivering a forceful push of Herculean strength that sent Jung-Kook flying down the rocky pathway at breakneck speeds –

And once he made it to the end of the tunnel, his tired eyes snap open to a gleaming white ceiling and blinding fluorescent lights.

Jung-Kook’s sense of time was groggy, but his eyesight was still perfectly clear.  

And lo and behold, even with the grit in his crusty eyes, he could tell who was seated beside him with a blanket covering her thighs and her blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Death wasn’t pulling his leg, after all.

With soaring hearts and jittery butterflies (Or, perhaps the feeling of hunger gnawing in his belly), he calls out her name croakily.

“Ye-Rim- _ah_. _Oppa_ ’s okay.”

* * *

 

The Stephen King novel falls out of Ye-Rim’s lap, landing on the ground with a loud thud. “Jung-Kook _oppa_!” She exclaims in happiness. “Thank God, you’re awake! I’m going to call the doctor, okay? I’ll be right back!”

“N-no, don’t!” It was too late; she scarpered away too quickly before he could do anything, and grimaced when he noticed another familiar face staring at him oddly.

“Jiminnie- _hyung_. How ya doin’?”

“Dang, buddy,” The older man scowls, pinching his nose in disgust. “You have to brush your teeth.”

“A better idea would be for you to _go_ – _away_ ,” Jung-Kook responds icily. “If I had enough strength, I would totally sack you right now – “

“Jung-Kookie’s awake, y’all!”  

He’s surprised to see all his friends there, with his table filled to the brim with cards written with well-wishes, fruit baskets and cakes. He feels remorseful, especially after noticing how every single one of them had dark bags underneath their eyes.

Seokjin re-adjusted Jung-Kook’s pillow, slowly seating him up, while Tae-Hyung went to pour him a glass of water.

Yoongi is the first to speak and judging from how swollen and red his eyes were, Jung-Kook assumed that the older man had been crying. For the rather emotionless and _Tsundere_ -like Yoongi to weep was beyond Jung-Kook’s imagination, and he feels his heart twinge in heavy guilt.

“You – you **_fucking_** piece of work,” Yoongi chokes back, embracing the dazed younger man by the neck. ”You piece of shit, you nearly _died_.  What did we say about avoiding your problems? Why did you think it was a good idea to drown yourself? Did you really think that hiding in the god damn fish tank was going to resolve everything?”

“I didn’t mean to, _hyung_ ,” Jung-Kook retorts, sweeping his greasy hair behind him. “It’s just that – OW! Tae-Hyung- _hyung_ , what was **_THAT_** for?”

Tae-Hyung glares dangerously at Jung-Kook. “For being an idiot. We were so worried! Don’t you dare scare us like that again!”

“Yeah!” Ho-Seok adds, ruffling Jung-Kook’s hair into an unruly mess once more. “Who else are we going to mortify without you around, huh?”

“I appreciate the concern, guys,” Jung-Kook rolls his eyes sarcastically. “Thank-you. I’m still alive and well and my heart is still beating.”

“Thanks to this young lady, actually,” A voice interrupts. Jung-Kook peers behind the crowd of young men huddled around him, bowing his head respectfully at the sight of the physician, an elderly woman with fading grey hair. Beside her, Ye-Rim stood with her hands behind her back, looking a tad bit out of place. “If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be here today.”

“Eh?”

“She performed first aid on you for fifteen minutes straight. You owe her more than just one date,” Ho-Seok whispers in his ear.

“Maybe five.” Jimin murmurs.

“The rest of his life.”

“That’s **_marriage_** , you shithead!”

Ye-Rim coughs awkwardly. “I’m still here, thanks.”

The physician didn’t stay too long; after a brief check-up, she proclaimed him well enough to go home the day after, leaving him to the ‘care of his friends’ (If you could really call it that).

“So, how are you going to re-pay us for saving your life? Especially Ye-Rimmie here!” Nam-Joon demands, wrapping an arm around the blushing girl.

“Nam-Joonie _oppa_!” She squeaks, slapping his hand away. She looks up from her entwined hands, locking gazes with Jung-Kook. He’s really, really looking at her – smoldering, almost, and she feels herself heating up once again.   

“Let’s give them some time to talk, eh?” Tae-Hyung suggests, patting Ye-Rim on the shoulder encouragingly before ushering the rest of them out into the hallway.

They _said_ they were going to the canteen for some refreshments, but let’s be real:  They had to have first-row seats for the show unfolding before them.

“So,” Ye-Rim begins, her mouth thin as she made herself comfortable on the chair beside his bed. “You nearly died.”

Jung-Kook hangs his head in disgrace, preparing himself for well-deserved chiding. “...Yes. And I’m sorry.”

Surprisingly, he feels Ye-Rim’s fingers run through his hair soothingly, leaving delightful sparks jolting everywhere. “You really scared me, you know,” She explains. “I was terrified that you weren’t going to make it.”

“I did, though,” He says. “Death told me to.”

Ye-Rim raises an eyebrow in speculation. “Huh. Care to explain?”

“I’m pretty sure it was only a hallucination, but I saw Death. **_SO_** strange, right? It yelled at me and said, ‘I don’t want you yet! Come back after you’ve had a date with that lovely lady-friend of yours!’” He laughs it off awkwardly, but noting Ye-Rim’s unamused scowl, he mumbles, “Um, not very funny, huh?”

“Well,” She replies, rosy pink tinting the apples of her cheeks. “Death isn’t wrong, but still,” She sighs, rubbing his hand. Was it just him? Or did she **_really_** like touching him? “It doesn’t mean you can endanger your life like that. I’m not that scary, am I? That you can’t even talk to me?”

“I-I mean,” He grumbles, fuming with a cute pout. “To be fair, I didn’t even know if you were going to forgive me!”

“I forgave you within like twenty-four hours!” She argues hotly. “I just wanted you to come talk to me first!”

“How could I when y-you ran away from me when I saw you a few days after the blind date?”

Ye-Rim furrows her eyebrows, attempting to recall that memory from four months ago. “Where in the world did I do that?!”

“In front of the library!”

“Okay, firstly, your argument is invalid. Secondly, I was running late for my shift at the bookstore, you silly boy!”

“O-okay,” Jung-Kook continues, fighting a battle that guaranteed Ye-Rim a landslide victory. “Well, you didn’t **_smile_** at me!”

“My creepy first-year stalker was standing right behind you. I didn’t want to give him the impression that I was welcoming him to talk to me, you see?”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?!”

“Well, from now on,” She begins, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’ll tell you everything, okay?” She holds out her pinky cutely, and he wraps his own around hers.  

Smiling from ear to ear, he nods. “I promise.”

“And the first thing is, I don’t want to have our first date in a hospital,” Ye-Rim says, winking at him. “I’ve heard the food here is pretty nasty.” To emphasize her point, she gestures at the tray of untouched food – a sad-looking tuna sandwich, an orange and a carton of apple juice. “So instead,” She draws up a stainless-steel thermos from her backpack and opens it up for him. “I made some soup yesterday, which I think will do you better than two dry pieces of bread.”

Jung-Kook peers at the bowl, eyes widening in surprise. “Wow, you made _kimchi jigae_! With seafood, too?”

“I heard from Tae-Hyung _oppa_ that it’s your form of comfort food.”  She dips the soup spoon into the bowl, blowing the steaming liquid gently before spooning it into his mouth carefully. “Say ‘ _ah_ ’.” After a few delicious sips, Ye-Rim suddenly comments, “Hmm, I think this is the longest that you’ve gone without hiccoughing around me?”

“ _Hic_.”

Ye-Rim chuckles, shaking her head. “Ah. Never mind. I think I like you better this way, anyway.”

Somewhere outside, a chorus of masculine, “ ** _AWWWWW_**!”’s resounds through his hospital room, and Jung-Kook and Ye-Rim can’t help but blush furiously when they hear Nam-Joon scream, lacking all poise and dignity, “PRAISE THE LORD, Y’ALL. JUNG-RI IS FINALLY HAPPENING!”

* * *

 

The following Sunday afternoon, Jung-Kook is standing at the train station near Ye-Rim’s apartment complex with a small bouquet of pink and violet roses in his hands, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest with each passing second. He’s going on his first official date with her today. They didn’t really plan much – it was just dinner and window-shopping.

Sure, it might not seem particularly extravagant, but this time around, he’s happy and content. And best of all, he wasn’t wearing high heels or skin-tight dresses.

She emerges a few minutes later, calling out “ _Oppa_!” with a bright smile. “Hello.”

“Hi,” He greets simply, handing her the flowers awkwardly. Ye-Rim suppresses a teasing giggle, knowing full well that Jung-Kook was still very inexperienced in dating. Still, she appreciated his efforts and she takes the bouquet from him. “I hope you like…flowers?”

“I do,” She replies earnestly. “They’re very pretty. Thank-you.”

They make their way to the platform, and she tugs on his dress pants and white dress shirt. “We’re matching today.” She comments, pleased.

“Hmm,” Jung-Kook muses in agreement, glancing at her navy-blue skirt and button-up blouse – but really, he was only using this as an excuse to check out her legs. “That’s good, though. Two birds, one stone:  I get to tell the world that you’re taken, and I also get a nice view of some toned calves.”

“ _Yah_ , stop!”

She doesn’t want it to stop.

They end up at a small hole-in-the-wall for an early dinner of _tteokbokki_ and _pajeon_ , and it was here that Jung-Kook realized that he and Ye-Rim shared much more in common than he originally thought. She tells him that she has a hobby of song-writing and composition, and that IU was her role model. He responds with enthusiasm as they enter a rather loud discussion on which song and concept was better.

“Personally speaking,” She says through a mouthful of rice cake. “Night Letter is her best song.”

“Yo, I agree! Although, I occasionally listen to Marshmallow from time to time. You’re not going to judge me, right?”

“I will,” She teases mischievously. “Unless you show me, Jung-Kook- _oppa_!”

“ _Yah_ , no!”

They’re walking around _Hong-Dae_ after dinner, and somehow, the two of them stumble into an old bookstore.

“You never looked like the type to…read,” Ye-Rim confesses uncertainly. “No offense.”

“None taken. I’m just very choosy.”

They give each other a few minutes to browse; Jung-Kook removes a random book from the shelf, only to find himself staring right into Ye-Rim’s eyes with her hand outstretched. “Go away!” She squeaks childishly. “I want to pick something nice for you!”

Once at the counter, she shows him a copy of Norwegian Wood. She’s surprised when he passes her The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. 

“Wow, are you a fan of Haruki?” She says after they leave, their wallets considerably lighter.

“Are you kidding? He is one of the few writers that I think does justice to modern literature. His motifs and metaphors in his writing are beautiful. I re-read that one several times.”

“I agree! I hope you like the one I recommended, though. Even if it can be a little dark.”

Jung-Kook still has much to learn about relationships and the mechanics of first loves, but finally, he understands what Ho-Seok means when he finds pleasure in sharing his love for K-Pop with Wendy.

Ho-Seok describes it as ‘feeling warm and fuzzy all over’; for Jung-Kook, though, he loved discovering this entirely new side to Ye-Rim that he had never known, and so far, he’s liked every new fact and tidbit about her.  

Halfway up the block, they pass a _hotteok_ stand, smelling of hot grease and cinnamon sugar. Much to her shock, Jung-Kook tugs on her hand to stop her from walking. “I thought you don’t like sweets, though?” Ye-Rim questions curiously, her hands wrapped around the pastry stuffed in the small plastic cup.

“Traditional Korean desserts are my jam,” He explains, pausing. “Terrible pun intended.”

She laughs anyway, satisfying him. “I like your dry humour. Very charming.”

 _I like you,_ his heart wants to say. He didn’t need any words to relay his message, though. He never let Ye-Rim’s hand go after they left, and he had absolutely no intentions to.

Right before they enter the station again, Ye-Rim pulls him into a busy CD store. He was half-expecting her to show him more NCT merchandise (Much to his chagrin); rather, she drags him to the section housing foreign artists.

“Show me what you listen to!”

“Ooh. That’s a little hard since I listen to a wide variety of songs.”

“Show me some more non K-Pop so I can broaden my horizons. I can only belt out ‘As If It’s Your Last’ and ‘Humble’ for far too long in karaoke.”

“I believe the literal term is, _‘expand your eardrums’_.”

“I don’t need technicalities. I just need some new songs for my phone! C’mon!”

He ends up buying her a copy of The Chainsmokers’ latest album, refusing in absolute horror when Ye-Rim jokingly brings an NCT poster to the register to purchase for him in return. As they exit, she mentions vaguely about forming a ‘JungRi’ playlist on Spotify so that they could both add their favourite music and have access to listen to regularly.

Perhaps his ears were deceiving him, but an inkling in his soaring heart tells him otherwise.   

Now, they’re both walking in silence back to her place, with him lagging a few steps behind her with his hands in his pockets, musing over the entire situation that had played out.

Like Nam-Joon and Yoongi had said before, he could’ve solved this without experiencing so many traumatic incidents. Did he _really_ have to go home with calloused feet and a swollen, torn ankle? Was doing the splits to a rhythmic beat enjoyable for his crotch?

Of course not. He could’ve had a perfectly enjoyable night with her ages ago if he wasn’t such a wuss. But then again, he continues with a quick glance at the adorable blonde-haired girl prancing in front of him, her happiness was worth more than his stupidity and embarrassment altogether.

Still, his elders _were_ his ‘elders’ for a reason. He’ll have to repay them all with a good dinner later.

He continues to walk, deep in thought, not noticing that Ye-Rim halted after noticing how leisurely his pace became. Only when he sees a pair of white Converses within five centimetres of his touch, he slows down and looks up at her, who in turn was watching him in contemplation. “W-what’s up?” He asks nervously, rubbing his neck.

“I think I should be asking you that,” She replies with a kind smile. Giving a quick nod to the side, Jung-Kook soon realizes that their time together was now over: They’re at her apartment complex.

“O-oh. Well, I guess this is…” He doesn’t know what to say, but he bows quickly towards her, suddenly losing all confidence that he had from earlier in the day. “Good-bye?” God, even his voice was starting to crack. _What the hell, it’s time for you to get a grip._

“Something on your mind, Jung-Kook- _sshi_?” Shooting him a teasing wink, she adds, “Y’know, if you have more magical powers that I should know of, I think you can actually tell me now. So, what is it?”

One dramatic step forward, and he shuffles one back uneasily.

“Manipulation of nature?”

Two steps forward, two steps back. “N-no!”

“You can transform into a dragon, like Haku from Spirited Away? Because gosh, I would be so impressed.”

 _Damnit!_ “I wish. But I mean,” Jung-Kook adds hastily. “If you _want_ , I could pretend to be him, too! I probably won’t have the same powers as him, but – “

“I’m just kidding!” Ye-Rim chortles, her eyes twinkling brightly at him as her laugh rings melodically in his ears. She takes his hand in hers, and tilting her head cutely from side to side, says something that Jung-Kook will most likely never forget in this lifetime.

“Besides, I like you for _you_.” She states clearly, stroking his hand with her thumb to reassure him. “You, in your original form, is the best.”

“N-not even as Kookie? I know you loved that puppy” is the only thing that he was able to peep out.

“Not even as Tae-Yong, because I like pairing Tae-Yong with Jennie,” Ye-Rim adds firmly. “So, don’t ever change, okay?”

 _Of course, I won’t. Not anymore, anyway._ “C-can I do something?”

She steps away from him, but without even having to prompt him into saying anything, she automatically opens up her arms welcomingly.

And Jung-Kook lunges towards her without warning, wrapping his strong arms around the small of her back protectively, soon realizing that lightly-scented lavender will inevitably become his favourite scent.

_Am I stupid to ask if this is day 1 of our relationship?_

Ye-Rim interrupts him with yet another melodious giggle. “I would’ve thought that after we slept together for the first time, that could technically be our day one, but hey, I guess this makes better sense since I’m not seething in anger at you. So, yes Jung-Kook _oppa_ , of _course_ it is.”

“W-wait, I said that out loud?” He feels her head move up and down against his chest, and he heaves a sigh. “I have got to stop doing that.”

How long they embraced for, he’s not sure. The only thing he is certain of, however, is that he doesn’t want to let go. Maybe they can stay like this forever. Most probably not, though. Ye-Rim’s arms finally let go from his waist, and Jung-Kook, too, releases her from his grip – albeit with much reluctance.

“Hey, why do you look so deflated?” She questions, patting his upper arm enthusiastically. “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow at the Microbiology lab, won’t I?”

“So…so…you’re down for eating lunch with me?!”

“No, Jung-Kook _oppa_ , we’re going to be extracting DNA from your skin cells.”

“Oh…”

“Gosh, _oppa_ , you really need to learn to not take me so seriously all the time.” With a final wave, she turns away from him to walk towards the glass doors of her building.

She hasn’t even reached the halfway point yet, but Jung-Kook’s sudden outburst draws her back like a magnet. “But I mean, if you really want me to teach you how to perform that type of experiment, I wouldn’t mind! Firstly, I love pipettes!” The overexcited Jung-Kook begins flapping his arms up and down like a mad man. “It’d help boost your undergraduate research career, and it’ll make you a well-rounded applicant when you need to apply for medical school!”

She stares at him blankly, with ‘ _He really was concerned about me’_ twirling around in her mind _._

Beaming beautifully at last to ease Jung-Kook’s worries, Ye-Rim nods. “I’d like that. But you know what? I think I’d like this even more.” She doesn’t give Jung-Kook a chance to speak, simply because her lips were pressed against his own in a quick kiss, throwing him completely off guard.

She retreats, blushing, before running back into the safety of her apartment and bolting straight for the elevator, evading any curious questions from the building manager.

As for Jung-Kook whom could never take any surprises or shocks, he stands completely still, his finger prodding the outline of his lips.

Undoubtedly, direct kisses were always much more satisfactory in comparison to any other forms of skin ship.    

_From: Ye-Rimmie :)_ _  
Received:  8:52 PM_

_Yah! Leave! You’ve been standing there for ten minutes straight touching your lips like a weirdo, and I don’t want you arrested for stalking me. I’ll give you all the kisses you want next time, but let’s take it slow, okay? Good-night, oppa ^^!_

Reading through the message several times, Jung-Kook finally breaks into a hearty guffaw before pocketing his phone back into his jacket and turning the other way around.

It may have taken five times to win Kim Ye-Rim over.

And yeah, in the process, he didn’t have the most fun learning dances from Park Jimin, tearing certain ligaments in his legs, balancing himself on three-inch heels and getting pummeled in the crotch with a pillow. He didn’t appreciate his near-death experience, either.

But, honest to goodness, he would do it over, and over, and over again if he had to.

 _Just_ for her.

* * *

End.


End file.
